HC Deb 11 July 1988 vol 137 c13
21. Mr. Tom Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorway and trunk road bridges are currently in need of repair.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

Between 5 and 10 per cent. of the department's 8,500 or so bridges need structural maintenance each year.

Mr. Clarke

Does the Minister accept that that is quite a high figure and that those of us who use the motorways and the north-west trunk road bridges realise that, apart from avoiding accidents, there are opportunities to provide jobs in the construction industry?

Mr. Bottomley

We can no longer say that the country has a major problem with jobs in the construction industry. Some of us consider that in some parts of the country the position is slightly the reverse. Programmes of maintenance have kept pace with the need for general repairs, and the special needs of older bridges in particular are being tackled under a 15-year strengthening and upgrading programme.