§ 32. Mr. RandallIf he will make a statement on his Department's plans to limit noise pollution on major trunk roads.[30654]
§ Dr. StrangNoise pollution is being addressed in the review of the role of trunk roads in England and is being considered with other matters in the preparation of the White Paper on integrated transport.
§ Mr. RandallI thank the Minister for his reply. What assurances can he give my constituents, particularly those living in Ickenham close to the A40, about measures to alleviate the misery of noise pollution there?
§ Dr. StrangThe hon. Gentleman is right to focus attention on that. I know how important the issue is for many of his constituents. Under the policy of previous Governments, there has been no specific provision for tackling the problem once a road has been constructed. We are considering the matter, and we will announce our decision when we publish our White Paper on integrated transport.
§ Fiona MactaggartI am glad that the matter will be covered in the White Paper. Is there any prospect that the paper will include proposals to protect people who live near existing roads, such as the A40 and M4, that have had increasing traffic in recent years and become very noisy for people nearby? If there were to be some alleviation, it would be for the first time for many years, which would be welcome to those of us who have campaigned on the matter for a long time.
§ Dr. StrangMy hon. Friend is right to point up the problem. As she knows, there is an excellent chapter on the subject in the report on transport of the royal commission on environmental protection. It is an issue of growing importance for many people and we intend to address it.