§ 55 and 56. Mr. J. J. Robertsonasked the Minister of Transport (1) the final cost, in so far as it was borne by his 5W Department, of replacing, repairing and reconditioning bridges, roads and river banks, destroyed or damaged by floods during 1948 in Berwickshire and East Lothian;
(2) the original estimated cost to his Department of the work of rehabilitation of damage to transport facilities caused by the flooding of the Berwickshire and East Lothian area during 1948; and what were the terms of contract arranged for the carrying out of the work.
§ Mr. BarnesThe estimated total cost of works requiring expenditure from the Road Fund was £281,724, the Road Fund's share being £176,285. Ninety-five works, estimated to cost £98,624, have so far been completed at a cost of £71,872. Of these:—two were the subject of ordinary contracts resulting from competitive tendering based on my Department's Standard Conditions of Contract; the final cost of these was £8,734, compared with an original estimate of £10,177; 15 works were the subject of contracts of the "time and materials" type, in which the contractor was paid at agreed rates for labour, haulage and materials actually used; the final cost of these was £16,866 compared with an original estimate of £26,700; 31 works were undertaken by contractors on the basis of net cost of labour, and in some instances of materials, plus percentages to cover overheads and profit; the final cost of these was £10,409 compared with an original estimate of £12,500; 47 works not let to contract were carried out by the direct labour organisations of the highway authorities themselves; the final cost of these was £35,863 compared with an estimate of £49,247.
No expenditure on railways or river banks has fallen on my Department.