§ Mr. THORNEasked the Minister of Transport the number of local authorities which have discontinued road and other schemes for relief of the unemployed; and the approximate value of the schemes which have been abandoned since 21st September, 1931?
§ Mr. PYBUSI am only able to deal in my reply with road and bridge schemes. With the object of reducing expenditure from the Road Fund, all schemes of road and bridge construction and improvement, which form the subject of commitments from the fund, are now being reviewed, and not merely those which had been expedited for the relief of unemployment. I have in all cases endeavoured to proceed in consultation with the local authorities and, while my survey of the position is still incomplete, I have arranged, up to the present, for a reduction in the commitments of the Road Fund over the next few years in respect of an estimated total expenditure of approximately £15,750,000.