§ 1. Mr. Wattsasked the Secretary of State for Transport how the road price index has changed in relation to the retail prices index in each of the last five years.
§ The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Nicholas Ridley)Road prices have fallen, relative to the retail prices index by about 25 per cent. since 1980. This means that we are getting more road for our money. The supporting yearly figures have been placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. WattsI thank my right hon. Friend for his encouraging reply. Is he aware that the director-general of the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors recently commented that he viewed the health of the industry with some rapture? Does my right hon. Friend agree with that assessment, and to what extent is his Department responsible for it?
§ Mr. RidleyI am delighted to hear that our policies are causing rapture. I confirm that he have increased spending on roads by 25 per cent., and that there has been a 30 per cent. increase in value for money. That is why we have such a massive roads programme, whose benefits can be seen in all parts of the country.
§ Mr. Peter BruinvelsDoes that mean that more money has been spent on roads and that the programme for building new roads has been substantially increased and improved since 1951? Will funds be made available to widen the M25 between junctions 8 and 10?
§ Mr. RidleyI should point out that the relevant date is not 1951 but 1980. The road output price index has hardly increased during the past six years. That means that we are getting the same cash prices, despite inflation over six years. I am studying the south-west quadrant of the M25 to discover the cause of the congestion, but I was not aware of any problems between junctions 8 and 10.
§ Mr. FlanneryDoes not the immense transfer of traffic from rail to road mean more pollution, more policing and more blockages all over the country? Are not the Government following a quite reactionary policy, given that, for example, the railways cause no pollution?
§ Mr. RidleyThe hon. Gentleman should know that we are coping well with the increased traffic on our roads. Indeed, the programme that I have just set out explains just how well we have coped with it. I believe that people want roads, because motorists want to travel in their cars. It is up to shippers to decide on the cheapest and most convenient form of carriage for their goods. A little freedom in this area, as in others, is well worth while.