§ 5. Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of Transport what approaches have been made by her to the Road Research Laboratory for advice on the construction of roads on Indian Ocean atolls consisting of honeycombed coral, under the control of Her Majesty's Government.
§ Mr. SwinglerNone, Sir. My right hon. Friend is not responsible for roads built outside this country. No research has been undertaken by the department on constructional problems on coral islands.
§ Mr. DalyellWould it not be wise for someone somewhere in the Government machine, before embarking on preposterous projects of building roads on a coral island, to get some expert advice?
§ Mr. SwinglerWe are not embarking on any preposterous projects, but the Road Research Laboratory is available to anybody who wishes to consult it on technical problems. Some years ago it issued a booklet on the use of coral and other soft limestone in road building. If my hon. Friend would like a copy, I should be delighted to send him one.