HC Deb 11 January 1993 vol 216 cc599-600
11. Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the trunk road building programme for Dorset.

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle

The national trunk road programme contains 12 schemes in Dorset, with a value of more than £90 million. The schemes most recently opened to traffic were dual carriageway improvements between Yellowham hill and Troytown, in December 1991, and between Mere and Wincanton—which serves north Dorset —in July 1992.

Mr. Bruce

I thank my hon. Friend for his answer, and for the enormous amount of investment that is going into Dorset—particularly that which benefits people trying to travel to and from London.

Dorset has already spent a good deal of money on the A37, but the last link, which goes to Yeovil, must go through Somerset, and therefore receives no investment. Will my hon. Friend consider making it a trunk road, thus greatly improving north-south communication for my constituency?

Mr. Carlisle

My hon. Friend is always fighting for better roads in south Dorset. I pay tribute to him for that. I remind him, however, that it is unnecessary for a road to be a trunk road if it is to be greatly improved. On the two north-south routes in Dorset, the A350 and the A354/A37, in recent years four schemes have been approved for transport supplementary grant worth £30 million or more in total. Investment in these routes will continue.