HC Deb 10 July 1996 vol 281 c202W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the budget allocated to Cheshire county council for insulation against transport noise in each of the last five years. [36540]

Mr. Norris

The resources that my Department allocates to local authorities for construction or improvement of transport infrastructure may, where appropriate, be used partly to cover the cost of insulation against traffic noise, but we do not normally keep separate records of this element of scheme costs.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the budget allocated to Cheshire county council by his Department for(a) new road building projects and (b) road maintenance for each of the last five years. [36536]

Mr. Norris

Allocations to Cheshire for new road building projects and principal road maintenance are as follows:

£ million
New roads Road maintenance
1992–93 16.169 4.480
1993–94 13.995 7.520
1994–95 12.325 5.429
1995–96 16.728 4.915
1996–97 17.82 3.090

My Department funds only structural maintenance of principal roads. Most central Government support for highway maintenance expenditure comes from the Department of the Environment through the local government finance system.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the budget allocated to Cheshire county council by his Department for(a) street lighting improvements and (b) traffic calming measures for each of the last five years. [36537]

Mr. Norris

None of the resources that my Department has allocated to Cheshire county council in the last five years has been specifically targeted on street lighting or traffic calming. It is for the council to decide the proportion of its minor works, packages and local safety scheme allocations it wishes to spend on these services.

Allocations to Cheshire for minor works, packages and local safety schemes in the last five years are as follows:

  • 1992–93: £0.529 million
  • 1993–94: £1.017 million
  • 1994–95: £0.940 million
  • 1995–96: £1,286 million
  • 1996–97: £1.284 million