§ Mr. CHADWICKasked the Minister of Transport what employment of a temporary nature is being provided by expenditure by the State, either directly or indirectly, on road construction or improvement; how much of the money set aside for 1942W the Road Board has been voted; and how many of the schemes for which these sums are provided have actually been commenced?
Sir RHYS WILLIAMSIn addition to the existing balances in the Road Improvement Fund, the Civil Service Estimates for the current year provide £8,250,000 by way of a Grant-in-Aid. The total amount thus made available for road construction and improvement with a view to providing useful employment in restoring Toads to their pre-war condition was, approximately, £10,000,000, of which nearly the whole has already been allocated. I have no definite information of the number of schemes which have actually been commenced, but payments on account of 186 schemes have already been made.