§ 63. Mr. Steeleasked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the improvement scheme, from Johnstone Bridge to 29W Beattock on A.74. costing £471,000, on which work commenced on March, 1958, and was estimated to be completed early 1960, is still unfinished.
§ Mr. N. MacphersonI regret that the information about this scheme which my right hon. Friend gave in his reply to the hon. Member for Ayr (Sir T. Moore) on 17th April, 1958, and on which the Question is no doubt based, was mistaken. The contract is for two and a half years and not two as announced then and ends in September, 1960. After a slow start, owing mainly to the very wet weather of 1958, the rate of progress has much improved and it is hoped that, given reasonable weather this summer, the work will be completed by this autumn, as it should be.
§ 64. Mr. Steeleasked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the improvement scheme from Newfield Inn to South of Millbank on A.74, costing £712,000, on which work commenced in October, 1957, and which was estimated to be completed in the spring of 1960, is still unfinished.
§ Mr. N. MacphersonThe contractor responsible for this improvement has advanced a number of reasons for the disappointing rate of progress which has been achieved. These include the bad weather of 1958, the bad conditions for winter working owing to the exposed nature of the site, and difficulty in obtaining adequate supplies of dressed stone for the new bridge. He has been urged by the Lanarkshire County Council and my right hon. Friend's Department to expedite the work so that the scheme may be completed this autumn.