§ Sir John Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the original cost of each of the Forth, Tay and Erskine Bridges; what is the total outstanding loan in respect of each of the Forth and Tay Bridges; and how much comprises the original loan and how much is accumulated interest.
§ Mr. William RossThe information is as follows:
CAPITAL COST OF BRIDGE PROJECTS Forth Tay £ £ Original cost 19,745,829 6,843,029 Amount outstanding at end of 1972–73 17,102,775 6,716,313 Of which: Capital 14,596,070 5,947,719 Interest 2,506,705 768,594 The Erskine bridge cost £10,757,968.
§ Sir John Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the gross revenue from the tolls on the Forth, and Erskine Bridges for the most recent financial year; what is the net revenue, after deducting operating costs, for each bridge; and what is the cost of the toll collection for each bridge for the same year.
§ Mr. William RossFor the financial year 1972–73* the figures are:
Forth Erskine £ £ Gross revenue from tools 1,360,819 312,273 Operating costs 264,173 201,236 Net Revenue 1,096,646 111,037 Cost of toll collection 81,873 75,011 *The financial year for the Forth bridge starts on 29th May; for the Erskine bridge on 1st April.