HL Deb 12 July 1989 vol 510 cc253-4

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are prepared to put a cash limit on the cost of the London Road Assessment Studies, and, if so, at what figure.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Lord Brabazon of Tara)

My Lords, the total provision for the studies is about £8 million. The Department of Transport is keeping the expenditure under review.

Earl Russell

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. He may perhaps appreciate that I would be somewhat relieved if it were to stop there. However, perhaps I may pursue the Question a little further. Has any consideration been given to putting a cash limit on the total amount of work resulting from these studies? In particular, is the Minister in a position to deny the report which appeared in the Independent on 3rd April that the total cost of the work involved is likely to amount to £3.5 billion?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, the implementation costs would depend on the measures adopted. Therefore I cannot put an estimate on the unknown. We await the consultants' work. Any new infrastructure in London will of course be costly, but I emphasise that the figure of £3.5 billion which the noble Lord mentioned is certainly not an official, estimate and is only speculation by the press.

Lord Underhill

My Lords, does the Minister recall that on 29th June the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, tabled a Question on the East London assessment study, when the Minister intimated that the report would be available in the summer—presumably July or August—and that decisions would then be taken? Can the Minister give some assurance that before decisions are taken there will be thorough consultations on the report? If consultations are to take place, with whom will they be conducted?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, I can give an assurance that there will be thorough consultations on the report before anything is done. Those consultations would be with the local authorities involved, public transport operators and others.

Lord McNair

My Lords, can the noble Lord tell me whether these road assessment studies are anything more than an attempt to buy time, during which the problem of London's traffic will get so much worse that the Government will then feel able to take drastic measures, which they are not prepared to take now, in order to forestall the coming chaos?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, I must disabuse the noble Lord that the assessment studies are looking purely at roads. They are looking at public transport and a number of other means of improving the environment. They are certainly not a waste of time. The studies are a good way of looking at some of the urgent problems which need to be solved.

Lord Underhill

My Lords, I am sorry to rise again but will the Minister clarify what he just said in reply to the last supplementary question? I think he said that the studies were not looking at public transport. Surely the studies will consider all passible options: roads, environmental questions, public transport and all associated matters, will they not?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, I am sorry if the noble Lord misunderstood. That was exactly what I was trying to say. I was explaining to the noble Lord, Lord McNair, that the studies were looking not just at roads but at other matters too.

Viscount Hanworth

My Lords, does the noble Lord agree that all this should have been over a long time ago, that it is now the eleventh hour and that further studies are beginning to be too time-wasting?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, it is a matter of argument as regards what should have been done before. The fact is that there are problems of acute congestion in parts of London and it is the action of a responsible government to look into ways of improving that.

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