HL Deb 07 November 1995 vol 566 cc1627-8

2.54 p.m.

Lord Boyd-Carpenter asked Her Majesty's Government:

When it is intended to start work on the Newbury bypass, and when it is expected that the work on it will be completed.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Viscount Goschen)

My Lords, it is intended to commence the main works on the Newbury bypass as early as possible in 1996 with some site clearance work in advance of that. Construction work is expected to take two years to complete.

Lord Boyd-Carpenter

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that reply. Is he aware of the urgency of dealing with the appalling traffic situation in Newbury? It was demonstrated last week when two people were killed and a number injured when the traffic got together in the middle of Newbury and overwhelmed a car and its occupants.

Viscount Goschen

My Lords, we are aware of the urgency for putting this scheme in place. That is why we have taken rapid action. We undertook some site clearance and are pursuing the initial work as we speak. It is an important scheme. It has been clearly shown that there is a great deal of support for it in the local region and that is why we give it priority.

Lord Dean of Beswick

My Lords, bearing in mind the recent press reports that there will be savage cuts in the road construction programme, can the Minister tell the House what criteria will be used for making such cuts? We do not want all the cuts to occur in one place, such as the North West, where I come from.

Viscount Goschen

My Lords, whenever we consider the road programme, we look at each scheme on its merits; we establish our priorities and of course pay due regard to keeping public expenditure under proper control.

Lord Clinton-Davis

My Lords, bearing in mind that the Government have asserted over and over again that their bypass programme plays a major role in improving conditions in towns and villages, can he indicate how many bypass schemes which had been planned were abandoned over the course of the past 12 months, and whether there is any indication as to how many will be abandoned in the coming 12 months?

Viscount Goschen

My Lords, I cannot give the noble Lord the information he requests. We consider our programme of expenditure in the light of the money available. We shall be considering carefully which schemes should be given top priority. The noble Lord is right that we believe that bypasses provide good value for money; they target our resources into relieving congestion where it is at its worst and produce considerable safety benefits. We shall continue to give bypasses top priority.