§ Mr. Marksasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the saving in public expenditure which will result from his decision to offer the preparation work on the widening of the Barton high level bridge on the M63 to private consulting engineers rather than the Greater Manchester council.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeA direct comparison of the public expenditure involved in employing consulting engineers rather than Greater Manchester council cannot be made as there are many cost factors to be taken into account, some of which cannot be quantified. The extreme complexity of the Barton bridge scheme made it particularly desirable to employ a firm of consulting engineers which had specialist knowledge of structures. The use of consultants for major highway works of this kind will have increasing advantages over the years, including their contribution to the balance of payments arising from work overseas as a result of their strengthening home base.