HC Deb 07 June 1967 vol 747 cc1048-9
35. Sir D. Renton

asked the Minister of Transport what is the total amount of expenditure to which her Department and highway authorities are committed for major works of road improvement; and within what period she expects those works to be completed.

Mr. Swingler

Current commitments in respect of expenditure on motorway and trunk road schemes and of grants promised to other highway authorities for classified road schemes amount to about £340 million. Most of these works are likely to be substantially complete within three years.

We have no records of the overall commitments incurred by other highway authorities.

Sir D. Renton

Will the hon. Gentleman bear in mind that the public want to know the reality of these figures? Will he not consider publishing annual completion dates, thereby splitting up the total of the three-year forward programme so that the public will know what the reality is as a matter of annual achievement?

Mr. Swingler

I think the assiduous reader of HANSARD can find most of these figures. The reality about these figures is that the programme expenditure by the State on new construction this year is £233 million. The figure for which the hon. Gentleman asks covers those schemes for which financial approval has already been given. That obviously goes further ahead than the current financial year. As financial approval is given to schemes committed to the programme, these schemes are announced and therefore the information is available to the public.