§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales by what proportion the cost of a bilingual road sign is greater than the cost of an unilingual road sign.
§ Mr. Barry JonesThis will vary, depending on the increase in the size of the sign; but experience on trunk road signs suggests that costs could, on average, be increased by about 75 per cent.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total cost of new road signs in Wales during the last 10 years; and what proportion of this he attributes to bilingualism.
§ Mr. Barry JonesFigures are not available. A test check has suggested that the addition of a second language to466W a trunk road sign can be expected, on average, to increase costs by about 75 per cent.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales how much of the £17 million cost of bilingual signs in Wales will have been spent in each of the eight Welsh counties responsible.
§ Mr. Barry JonesA precise breakdown by counties could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales how much of the £17 million cost of bilingual road signs in Wales was spent in each of the years since 1972.
§ Mr. Barry JonesInformation about trunk roads is not available for the years 1972–73 and 1973–74. For the subsequent years the cost of fabrication and erection of bilingual signs is roughly as follows:
1974–75 £140,000 1975–76 £60,000 1976–77 £20,000 1977–78 (to 23.1.78) £810,000 No figures are available for county roads.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales, of the £17 million cost of bilingual road signs in Wales what is the share of the local councils.
§ Mr. Barry JonesThe estimate includes about £5 million for county roads.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales if the work of manufacturing road signs for Welsh roads is given to firms in Wales.
§ Mr. Barry JonesContracts for new trunk roads normally provide for the supply and installation of road signs as part of the scheme, and it is for the contractor to select his sources of supply. All other roads in Wales are the responsibility of county councils, all but one of which have their own workshops for the manufacture of road signs. As county councils are the agent authorities for the maintenance of trunk roads they will generally also be the suppliers of new and replacement signs required for existing trunk roads.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales, of the £1,030,000 467W spent on bilingual road signs since June 1974, how much was due to their being bilingual.
§ Mr. Barry JonesThe figure is estimated to be between £400,000 and £500,000.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales if the road signs used in Wales are made in Wales.
§ Mr. Barry JonesMany road signs used in Wales are made in Wales but signs are also obtained from suppliers outside Wales.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the road signs worth £1,030,000 erected by the Government in Wales since June 1974 was made in Wales.
§ Mr. Barry JonesThis information is not readily available.