§ 17. Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of Strathclyde regional council to discuss rural transport.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonMy right hon. Friend has received no request from Strathclyde regional council to discuss rural transport.
§ Mrs. MichieThe Minister may be aware that Strathclyde regional council has delayed yet again the upgrading of three vital roads in my constituency. That is making them very dangerous, particularly during the tourist season. Year after year Strathclyde regional council has done that because it says that it does not have enough money in its roads budget. Might that be partly because the regional council has to finance roadworks on the M8 motorway? Is that not a Scottish Office responsibility?
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonWe are spending some ³145 million on trunk roads in Scotland. However, the hon. Lady's complaint is about the allocation by Strathclyde regional council. I shall certainly draw her remarks to the attention of the chairman of the highways committee concerned. In recent years we have enormously increased the resources for trunk roads. Priority is being given to the upgrading of the M74, which is going ahead very speedily.