HC Deb 21 July 1971 vol 821 cc1439-40
26. Mr. Rost

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will inquire into the proposed demolition of an existing bridge and the construction of a new bridge at Wilne Lane, Shardlow, in Derbyshire, in view of local objections on environmental and road safety grounds.

The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Eldon Griffiths)

No, Sir. This is a substandard bridge carrying an unclassified road which urgently requires replacement, and Derbyshire County Council, as both the highway and the local planning authority, is responsible for the environmental and road safety considerations arising from its replacement.

Mr. Rost

Is the Minister aware that his answer will disappoint a large number of my constituents and is most unsatisfactory? If his Minister does not get a grip on the bureaucratic bungling going on with the decision taking, his Minister will deserve to be called the Minister of Pollution?

Mr. Griffiths

I disagree with my hon. Friend. If any British Minister has done more to aid the cause of combating pollution than my right hon. Friend, I do not know who he is. I can only tell my hon. Friend that Derbyshire County Council has a responsibility here and will discharge it.