Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Minister of Transport, in view of his statement last year in connection with the road programme of 1964 to 1969 that the total expenditure by central and local government on maintenance and minor improvement of trunk and classified roads in England and Wales was estimated at £470 million, and his more recent statement giving equivalent figures for the five-year period 1965 to 1970 which gave £400 million as being the estimated expenditure for similar maintenance and minor improvement work for the latter period, what is the reason for this apparent substantial reduction in future expenditure on road maintenance.
§ Mr. MarplesThe figures for 1965–70 for maintenance and minor improvement expenditure on classified roads given in my recent statement were prepared on a different basis from those given last year for 1964–69. The forecast for 1965–70 is based on the projected level of Exchequer grants under my 10-year programme of maintenance and minor improvements recently discussed with local authority associations. The forecast for 1964–69, on the other hand, was based on a projection from local authority returns of actual expenditure and, in consequence, included some items which do not attract grant. No reduction in grant-earning expenditure on maintenance and minor improvement is proposed. The 10-year programme for classified roads does, in fact, provide for an increase over478W recent levels of expenditure so as to enable more works of minor improvement to be carried out.