§ LORD BOSSOMMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government who is supposed to benefit (other than the contractors) when British public funds are paid to contractors to tear down electric light standards which are attractive and full of English character and replace them with totally characterless iron tubes of No 1nterest whatsoever, as is now being done in various London thoroughfares.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT (LORD LINDGREN)My Lords, road users generally benefit from the installation of improved street lighting, in particular by way of increased safety.
§ LORD BOSSOMMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that piece of unusual information, I wonder whether he realises that the public authorities and various Government Departments are steadily whittling away many of the attractive minor elements of character in London and other places, and cannot the Government do something about it?
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, I do not want to pass the buck, but Parliament in its wisdom has left with the local authorities—from the county borough council down to the humble parish council—the responsibility for street lighting. It is perhaps a relic of the days when security was much more important so far as the public was concerned than was road safety.
§ VISCOUNT DILHORNEMy Lords, do not the Ministry of Transport, with the Ministry of Works, have some responsibility for lighting in the Royal Parks?
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, in so far as the Royal Parks are concerned, the Ministry of Transport have no responsibility whatever. So far as the Ministry of Works are concerned, I have enough trouble answering for the Minister of Transport without taking on extra responsibility.
§ LORD WAKEFIELD OF KENDALMy Lords, why is it not possible to improve the lighting and have all the necessary advantages of safety on the roads and other considerations of that kind and, at the same time, retain the characteristics of this old English type of lighting standard? Is there any difficulty about that?
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, the Council of Industrial Design have approved designs which are well known to the local authorities who have the responsibility for street lighting. I should like to make it clear that the Ministry of Transport have no responsibility whatever in this respect, except that on trunk roads, where they make a contribution of 50 per cent. towards the cost, they require designs approved by the Council of Industrial Design to be adhered to.
§ LORD BOSSOMMy Lords, does the noble Lord not know that it is perfectly simple mechanically to convert the upper parts of these lighting standards to make them exactly the same as the new ones that are being put in so far as the quality of lighting is concerned, while still retaining the characteristics of the lower part? It is an easy thing to do and it is done in other countries.
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, it is a matter for the local authorities. They pay the bill and they call the tune.
§ LORD LINDGRENSo far as I know, height has no relationship to the matter.