HL Deb 04 March 1987 vol 485 cc623-4

2.45 p.m.

Lord Brougham and Vaux

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many road schemes will be supported with transport supplementary grant in 1987–88.

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, in England we aim to support 340 major schemes costing 1 million or more. There are 70 new schemes for 1987–88. As regards the remaining 270, support will be maintained for schemes supported in previous settlements where local authorities continue to make satisfactory progress. In Wales, where the system is rather different, we aim to support 10 schemes costing £5 million or more, one of which is to be supported for the first time in 1987–88.

Lord Brougham and Vaux

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that very informative reply. Is he able to tell the House whether those figures include support for Channel Tunnel-related roads?

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, we have given the Kent County Council an assurance that transport supplementary grants for road schemes made necessary by the tunnel will be additional to the county's main accepted programme. In this settlement we have accepted around 80 per cent. of the county's bid for tunnel-related schemes.

Lord Underhill

My Lords, is it not the case that the Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment issued a report last autumn on urban road appraisal which was critical of the cost assessment analysis for determining the grant and also of what was alleged to be a bias against urban areas? Have the Government considered that report and other recommendations and when will they be published?

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, I can confirm that the report of the Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment, which was called Urban Road Appraisal, was published in October 1986. It supported the general application of cost benefit techniques and other aspects of trunk road assessment. It recommended ways in which those might be developed to cope with complex urban networks. The Government's response, which was also published in October, accepted the bulk of the committee's recommendations. The report did not identify any consistent bias in present methods. It provides a foundation of broad principles on which to develop and refine appraisal methods for both urban and interurban trunk roads. It also provides some advice which local authorities may find helpful when appraising their own roads. Economic benefits are only one of several factors that the Secretary of State considers when deciding the distribution of transport supplementary grant.

Lord Gisborough

My Lords, with reference to the Channel Tunnel-related roads, can my noble friend say whether there are any plans to improve the A.23 route, which is virtually the route from Westminster to the M.23?

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, I am afraid I cannot answer my noble friend now, but I shall write to him.