§ 33. Mr. Laneasked the Minister of Transport whether, in his new policy for speeding road traffic, he will give higher priority to improving routes that serve the ports.
§ Mr. MarshIn drawing up my future road plans, I shall continue to take fully into account the need for improved access to the country's ports.
§ Mr. LaneIn preparing the Green Paper which he has mentioned, will the Minister remember the special importance to East Anglia of improvements on these routes, bearing in mind the disproportionately low share of total expenditure which East Anglia has so far had, the dramatic growth in freight traffic to the ports and particularly the powerful case recently made by the East Anglia Planning Council?
§ Mr. MarshThe point is that, apart from the immediate vicinity of a port, port traffic is a very small proportion of the total road traffic. In the case of East Anglia, there are many items in the programme. In all, nearly £60 million of such schemes has been programmed and is in preparation.
§ Mr. James JohnsonWould not my right hon. Friend accept that Hull is the port of all ports which needs decent 970 access to the Midlands, the North-West and the South-West? Is not this so? Does not my right hon. Friend accept that the A614 between Thorne and How-den is merely a country lane and that we take 17 million tons of cargo each year?
§ Mr. MarshIt has been obvious for a long time that every hon. Member regards the roads in his constituency as more important than those of the other 629 Members. We are seeking to get a level of priorities. We cannot do all the things we want to do. We are spending a vast amount on roads, more than ever before, and obviously these factors are taken into account.