§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD CHESHAMMy 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 construction will start this year on all 215.6 miles of motorway in England and 17.28 miles in Scotland as previously announced; if not, on what motorways will construction be delayed and for what reasons; and what is the total length of motorways affected for each country respectively.]
§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND (LORD HUGHES)My Lords, my right honourable friend the Minister of Transport expects to award contracts during the current year for the construction of about 166 miles of motorway. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland expects to award contracts for the construction of 17.28 miles. The start of construction of 49.35 miles on M.5, M.6 and M.56 will be delayed by periods of up to three months because of objections to side road proposals, design difficulties and amendments, and difficulties over land acquisition. There is no expected delay in Scotland.
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that those with Scottish sympathies, including himself, must be glad of the last part of his Answer? Having regard to the fact that the noble Lord's right honourable friend thought in January that 215 miles would be started, may I ask why it has now sunk to 166? And if procedural difficulties such as he mentioned are the cause (I did not quite get down which motorways were 1100 referred to and the mileages, but I think I am right in saying that a substantial amount of the mileage he mentioned as being now delayed has been in the programme since the beginning; that is, over ten years) could the noble Lord say why the difficulties arise now?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I gave the reasons why the delays were taking place: because of objections to side road proposals, design difficulties and amendments, and difficulties over land acquisition. The procedure which has been followed in these matters is the same as has been carried out over a period of years, including the period during which the noble Lord was a Minister in the Ministry of Transport. The only major change which has taken place in procedures recently has been the setting up of the six regional road construction units, but these have been really too recent for us to make any comment as to their effect. I would point out, also, that I said that the delays would be of periods of up to three months. In fact in regard to the lengths which are delayed, in three cases we expect a start to take place during February, 1969, and in the remaining case in April. 1969. Therefore, on average, the delay is really less than the three months that I have mentioned.
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that he cannot quite brush it off like that? Is he aware that what he has announced amounts to delays in one-third of the programme for this year? May I say also that from experience I am aware of the processes that he mentioned, and I know they have not changed, but the difference is when they are put into operation. Can the noble Lord say why, when work is due to start in 1968, these processes are not apparently started until 1968?—because that seems to be ridiculous.
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, the proposals which were originally put forward included this 50-odd miles on which work was due to start in the last months of 1968; so a delay of even a few weeks in one case takes it into 1969. It is as simple as that. If, therefore, we divide a third of the programme by a fraction of the year, instead of being a third put off it works out at something between one-eighteenth and one-twenty-fourth.
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, is the noble Lord then aware that, the 39 miles having been started this year in the latter half of June, his right honourable friend has to get a move on to start his 166, to say nothing of his 215?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I am quite satisfied that if the noble Lord cares to put another Question at the end of the year he will receive an Answer which is more surprising still to him, having regard to the purpose for which he has put the Question.
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware—
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that I do not expect the answer that he has just given me?