§ 3. Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham):How much has been spent in capital terms on (a) motorways and (b) trunk roads in Sussex since 1997; and how much this represents as a percentage of overall expenditure on motorways and trunk roads in England. [138855]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Tony McNulty)On the basis of information available since April 1999, capital expenditure on motorways and trunk roads in Sussex amounts to £1.5million and £34.7million respectively. In total this represents some 2 per cent. of the Highways Agency's overall capital expenditure on motorways and trunk roads in the same period, and by pure coincidence—these things are not done on a pro rata basis—Sussex has 2.1 per cent. of the country's motorways and trunk roads.
§ Tim LoughtonIn other words, not a lot. People can drive all the way from Newcastle to Sussex on motorways or dual carriageways until they hit my constituency, where they will find single-lane gridlock 599 on the A27. We have about five miles of motorway in the whole of Sussex. In 1997, the hon. Gentleman's Government dropped every trunk road improvement scheme in Sussex, and now he has dropped any plans to provide bypasses around Worthing, Lancing and Arundel. Yet his Government want to subject West Sussex to another 46,000 homes, which will only add to the gridlock. When is Sussex going to get its fair share of road investment?
§ Mr. McNultyI am tempted to say, when it gets a rather better quality of parliamentary representation. The hon. Gentleman will know that I have had successive meetings about the A27 with West Sussex, the South East England Regional Assembly, the South East England Development Agency, and with the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Mr. Flight). I have still to have a meeting with the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson). I have had six or seven meetings about the A27, at which Conservative party members overall, whether local councillors or MPs, have been very serious about working with us and the Highways Agency to resolve the situation, rather than sitting on the sidelines throwing rocks as the hon. Gentleman is doing. Perhaps he should be a bit more positive in his approach.
§ Gregory Barker (Bexhill and Battle):The Minister might know that my constituency is particularly poorly served in this regard, having practically no dual carriageways at all. However, there is one small stretch in Bexhill, the King Offa way, which is notoriously unsafe—in fact, it is extremely dangerous. Six months ago, there was yet another fatal crash, the second in as many months, after which the Highways Agency recommended a string of improvements, including a crash barrier, better speed signs, barriers on the central reservation and a speed camera. Six months on, however, nothing has been done, and the Highways Agency tells us that it is very unlikely that anything will be done in 2004 because of the cash crisis in Kent and Sussex. Given that there has been yet another accident, what does the Minister intend to do?
§ Mr. McNultyThe hon. Gentleman makes a serious point. We have asked East Sussex to develop proposals for the Bexhill to Hastings link road, through the local transport plan process. We fully accept, however, that there are real difficulties along the entire south coast. All that we have said thus far is that the solutions that came up in the south coast multi-modal study were not appropriate. We are looking very seriously at each of the problems along the A27 with the Highways Agency, and we have a time frame within which to do that. We are seeking to resolve those problems, and I will be happy to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss the Bexhill issue specifically.