§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what publicly funded research has taken place into the provision of transparent traffic cones in those situations where security is an important consideration.
§ Mr. HowardI have been asked to reply.
Proposals for enhancing public security are always considered with care. In this case the proposal from one of my hon. Friend's constituents for the development of a transparent traffic cone was referred to the Metropolitan police anti-terrorist branch and the police scientific development branch. The police have concluded that transparent cones are unlikely to be of significant security benefit in Great Britain. Publicly funded research on possible designs, and in particular on whether a transparent cone could be produced which conformed to BS standard 873, has not therefore been carried out.