HC Deb 01 July 1964 vol 697 cc213-4W
46. Mr. Webster

asked the Minister of Transport what Her Majesty's Government's expenditure on road building in England and Wales is to be in the next five year period; and what it has been been in the last five years.

Vice-Admiral Hughes Hallett

The present road programme provides for the expenditure by Her Majesty's Government of about £800 million on new construction and major improvements of motorways, trunk roads and classified roads in England and Wales for the five years 1964–65–1968–69; in the five years 1959–60–1963–64 the corresponding expenditure was £382 million.

47. Mr. Webster

asked the Minister of Transport what was the amount of Government expenditure on road building in 1950–51; and what it will be in 1964–65.

Vice-Admiral Hughes Hallett

Total Government expenditure on new construction and major improvement of roads in Great Britain in 1950–51 was £4.4 million. The estimates for 1964–65 provide for the expenditure of £144.9 million.

66. Mr. Gower

asked the Minister of Transport what has been the expenditure on the roads programme during the past five years in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively; and what is the projected expenditure during the next five years in each case.

Mr. Marples

In the five years 1959–60 to 1963–64, Exchequer expenditure on the road programme for new construction and major improvements of motorways, trunk roads and classified roads in England and Wales was £382 million and in Scotland £59 million. The present road programme for the five years 1964–65 to 1968–69 provides for Exchequer expenditure of about £800 million in England and Wales and £105 million in Scotland. The corresponding expenditure by local authorities on their share of the cost of classified road schemes for the 1959–60 to 1963–64 programme is estimated at £50 million in England and Wales and £7 million in Scotland and for the 1964–65 to 1968–69 programme at £120 million in England and Wales and £16 million in Scotland.

There is no separate road programme for Wales and separate expenditure records are not maintained. Estimated Exchequer expenditure for the five years 1959–60 to 1963–64 on new construction and major improvement of roads in Wales is approximately £22 million, while the corresponding local authority expenditure is estimated as approximately £3 million. For the period 1964–65 to 1968–69 it is estimated that the comparable figures may be about £40 million and about £6 million.