§ VISCOUNT ELIBANK had the following Notice on the Paper:—To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are aware of the strength of public opinion in Scotland in favour of the erection of a road bridge across the Firth of Forth at Queensferry as being very necessary for extending transport facilities in the East and from the South to the North of Scotland and for other important reasons; and further to ask that the requisite grant be provided from the Road Fund so that the work of construction may be started as soon as possible in accordance with the comprehensive scheme which has already been drawn up and presented to the Ministry of Transport by the Edinburgh Corporation, the Fife County Council, and other local authorities principally concerned in the matter; and to move for Papers.
§ The noble Viscount said: My Lords, at this late hour I do not propose to move the Motion I have put on the Paper in connection with the Forth road bridge, because I feel that the subject is far too important to be dealt with in such a small House. I have arranged with my noble friends who are supporting me in the matter to defer bringing up the matter until Wednesday, July 22. But I should also like to add another reason why perhaps it is useful that 476 the debate should be adjourned until then. Further information has been sought by the Ministry of Transport from the local authorities concerned with regard to the advantages and necessity of the bridge. That information is now being compiled, and I sincerely hope that, as some three weeks will elapse between now and the time that I move my Motion on July 22, the local authorities will by then have presented that information to the Ministry of Transport, and that we shall be able in your Lordships' House, when the debate takes place, to have some real expression of opinion from the Government as to what attitude they propose to adopt towards the project.