§ 5. Mr. John Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the present road safety position in regard to vehicles engaged in transporting steel coil.
§ Mr. HoramRegulations already exist which require safe loading, and in addition the Department has published a Code of Practice on the Safety of Loads on Vehicles which contains detailed advice on methods of constraining a wide range of loads, including steel coils.
I believe that these arrangements are satisfactory but am always prepared to listen to suggestions from hon. Members.
§ Mr. EllisDoes my hon. Friend realise that the current practice, on flat-bedded lorries, of stacking coils in an upright position and putting blocks of wood each side is completely unsatisfactory? Will he consider introducing regulations so that a proper purpose-built cradle is utilised? Is my hon. Friend aware that the TGWU, of which I am a member, is extremely concerned about this? Has he any statistics to show what is happening to these loads on the road?
§ Mr. HoramThis is not a particularly serious cause of accidents. We believe that if people follow the instructions that we have laid down in regulations there should be no problem. However, I understand my hon. Friend's concern. I know that there have been one or two accidents recently in his area because of this, and I shall keep a careful watch on the position.
§ Mr. Temple-MorrisIn addition to road safety for steel coils and everything else, may I ask the hon. Gentleman about the expenditure of county councils on road maintenance, which is decreasing constantly between 1973 and 1981? We are mortgaging our future—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. That is a quite different matter from the Question on the Order Paper.