§ Captain Kerbyasked the Minister of Transport what steps she is taking to expedite the temporary repairs which 308W Shoreham Toll Bridge, which carries trunk road A.27, is now undergoing; if she is aware that the closure of this bridge is causing great and growing road traffic congestion and dislocation in south-east West Sussex; and if she will instruct British Railways to defer indefinitely the closure of the branch Shoreham-Horsham railway line, due on 7th March, in view of the fact that Shoreham Toll Bridge will be unfitted for Southdown buses and heavy lorries even when the temporary repairs are complete, in mid-March at the earliest.
§ Mr. SwinglerThe repair of this bridge is a matter for its owners the British Railways Board. We are pressing them to complete the restoration work in the minimum possible time. Decisions already reached about the rail closure are not affected.