HC Deb 07 June 1978 vol 951 cc193-4
28. Mr. Knox

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the third annual road maintenance survey to be completed.

Mr. Horam

The survey should be completed in July and the results should he available by the end of the year.

Mr. Knox

Does the Minister agree that the cuts in expenditure on road maintenance imposed by the Government are false economies? Will it not eventually cost more to bring the roads up to standard than had the cuts not been made? Is this not yet another example of the Government's passing the buck to the next Conservative Government?

Mr. Horam

Perhaps we should take the extra money for road maintenance out of the £500 million which the Opposition lopped off the Finance Bill. The Opposition are being totally hypocritical about public expenditure by demanding general cuts but making further specific demands for expenditure.

Mr. Adley

Is the Minister aware that the word "hypocritcal" lies ill in his mouth? The Opposition's views on public expenditure involve priorities. We would rather see money spent, as it should be, on road maintenance than, for instance on giving unlimited funds to the National Enterprise Board. Is the Minister aware that the cracked surfaces, the potholes and the general deterioration in the standard of our roads are a fitting monument to four years of Labour Government?

Mr. Horam

The hon. Member's philippic is wholly unjustified. The situation has not deteriorated. We have maintained a reasonable level of road maintenance expenditure in the light of the cuts that we have had to make. I understood that the Opposition wanted us to go even further.