§ Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Minister of Transport, in view of the unprecedented hold-ups and traffic jams on the Ml motorway over the past 10 days, what major work is anticipated between the London end and the Coventry turn-off over the next three months; if he will take emergency action to ease the situation which has now developed; and if he will have the overall delays monitored on a day-to-day basis.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeFive major repair projects are under way on this stretch of the Ml, of which two will be completed during the next three months. Any major change in the programme now would increase the costs and pro- 841W long the time needed to complete essential repairs. We are taking every reasonable step to minimise the inconvenience these works cause. Traffic arrangements at works sites are constantly patrolled by the police and monitored by resident engineers. I inspected the southern section of the Ml by police helicopter on 30 July and found these arrangements working well. We will continue to consider and introduce improvements to the contraflow systems, but some delays are inevitable when sections of the motorway are restricted for essential major repair work.