§ 2.39 p.m.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy 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 whether they can confirm that the date of completion of the remaining unfinished portion of the Oxford outer by-passes, given on April 29 last as September, 1965, will be met; and, if not, whether they will state the completion date and give the reasons for the delay.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT (LORD LINDGREN)My Lords, my right honourable friend's engineers expect that the contractor will be able to finish in September, 1965.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his reply, and I can only hope that the expectation is fulfilled. He will, I hope, absolve me from any seeming discourtesy if I beg leave to doubt whether that will 275 be so. Would he allow me to give my reasons? Because, since the plan of a certain section of this road was first authorised—and I have a copy in my hand given to me by the courtesy of his Department—a radical alteration has taken place which turns a section of this road, that which goes off the Southern by-pass and crosses the main Oxford-Abingdon road, into a veritable deathtrap. I agree with the noble Lord's feelings in this matter, that this is not a subject which one can discuss on the floor of the House by way of question and answer.
§ SEVERAL NOBLE LORDS: Order, order!
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHThe noble Lord should acquaint himself with the facts.
§ SEVERAL NOBLE LORDS: Question!
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHI am asking the noble Lord a question, if noble Lords will possess themselves of a reasonable amount of patience. To enable the noble Lord to ascertain those facts, will he accept my invitation to be my guest for one day during the Easter Recess—
§ SEVERAL NOBLE LORDS: Order, order!
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTH—so that he and I can view this matter together, with any experts he likes?—because in these matters it is far better to be safe than to be sorry afterwards.
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, on the question of the date of completion, my right honourable friend must, of course, take the advice of his technical advisers, and this is that the contract will be completed by the date of completion in the contract—namely, September, 1965. However, I should always be prepared, provided that it is not considered bribery, to spend a pleasant day in the company of the noble Lord, and I will look into it to see whether we can arrange a mutually satisfactory date, accompanied, as he has said, by my technical advisers.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord. I can assure him that there is no question of bribery. I will entertain him to a very good lunch, for which I will pay.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, can my noble friend also confirm that the case for or against a road through the Christ Church Meadows cannot be properly assessed until this Ring Road has been completed?
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, that is another question, and it is one which, to my knowledge, has been on the stocks since 1950. There are varying points of view whether the completion of the complete Ring Road would or would not make the Meadow road unnecessary.