Mr. J. Wellsasked the Minister of Transport if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing expenditure and mileages, where appropriate, in each year in the last 10 years on trunk roads and other roads in England and Wales, Kent and the Maidstone constituency, embracing the Borough of Maidstone and the rural districts of Maidstone and Hollingbourne.
§ Mr. MarplesThe following table shows the total expenditure from central and local government funds on new construction, major improvement, maintenance and minor improvement of motorways and trunk roads and of classified roads, respectively, in England and Wales during the 10 year period ending on 31st March, 1963, and the total mileages of each of the two categories in those years. Complete figures for 1963–64 are not yet available.
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ENGLAND AND WALES Year Motorways and Trunk Roads Classified Roads Expenditure Total Mileage Expenditure Total Mileage £m. £m. 1953–54 … 8.4 6,321 36.3 82,624 1954–55 … 9.8 6,321 40.2 83,483 1955–56 … 11.3 6,321 44.4 84,181 1956–57 … 15.7 6,322 47.9 84,975 1957–58 … 19.4 6,360 53.2 85,823 1958–59 … 38.2 6,380 58.7 86,787 1959–60 … 46.1 6,387 64.0 87,592 1960–61 … 41.9 6,492 68.6 88,401 1961–62 … 50.0 6,522 78.2 89,257 1962–63 … 72.4 6,538 80.3 90,011 Similar information is not readily available for the County of Kent and the Maidstone constituency because 1962–63 was the first year in which returns from local authorities were summarised by counties and separate records are not maintained for Parliamentary constituencies. The following table gives the expenditure in the County of Kent in 1962–63, and an approximate estimate of the expenditure in the Maidstone constituency in the same year, together with the relevant total mileages of each of the two categories of road in the respective areas:
EXPENDITURE AND MILEAGE, 1962–63 — Motorways and Trunk Roads Classified Roads Expenditure Total Mileage Expenditure Total Mileage County of Kent £m. 8.8* 150 £m. 4.2§ 2,034 Maidstone Constituency 0.l† 16‡ 0.1 203 * Includes £8 .3m. for motorway construction. † Does not include expenditure on motorway construction. Approximately £3m. has been spent on motorway construction in the constituency during the 10 year period. It is not possible to identify the expenditure in any one financial year. ‡ Does not include motorway mileage, which at the time in question was 6.1 miles. § Does not include £0.6m. expenditure on the construction of the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel. Comparable figures for unclassified roads are not readily available.