HC Deb 07 June 1978 vol 951 cc179-80
8. Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what contribution his Department is making towards the cost of repairs to the Birmingham Inner Ring Road.

Mr. Horam

Assistance from the Department is provided through the transport supplementary grant for this and other items of transport expenditure by the West Midlands County Council, which is responsible for this road. Because the TSG is a block grant, it is not possible to say how much of it relates to this one item of expenditure.

Mr. Rooker

Will the Minister confirm that there will be extra money over and above that which would ordinarily go to the West Midlands County Council for this job? Will he bear in mind that 20 years ago the Ministry of Transport paid three-quarters of the cost of this road, and that the Tory Government at that time allowed the methods of construction that have subsequently proved inadequate? Why should the Birmingham ratepayers have to foot the bill for the actions of a Tory Government 20 years ago?

Mr. Horam

I cannot confirm that there will be extra expenditure as a result of the events that have taken place, but there will be expenditure, roughly estimated by the West Midlands County Council at £440,000, on general maintenance between 1977 and 1981 on this stretch of road. There may be one or two items on top of that. That is what we shall finance in the normal way as part of the TSG.

Mr. MacKay

Will the Minister bear in mind the amount of ratepayers' and taxpayers' money that is invested in new roads such as the Birmingham Inner Ring Road, taking account of the fact that we have had major structural defects very early on in these roads? Does he agree that it is time to consider checking with the people who constructed those roads to see whether they are responsible, and should compensate us, rather than the taxpayer and the ratepayer having to pay?

Mr. Horam

This is something which we have gone into very thoroughly. Where there have been clear design mistakes and inappropriate methods have been used, we have looked at it very carefully. The important thing is to get the changes made as quickly as possible.