§ Mr. Bessellasked the Minister of Transport why the necessary personnel and equipment were not available to deal with the hazardous road conditions caused by snow and ice on 8th and 9th December on principal roads.
§ Mr. Carmichael:Clearance of snow and ice on principal roads is the responsibility of local highway authorities. Reports from local authorities affected by the recent snowfall indicate that appropriate steps were generally taken and that there was no shortage of personnel or equipment; it appears that the difficulties experienced were due in some cases to the exceptional depth of snow, and particularly to its falling while there was much traffic on the roads, which impeded the effective use of snow-clearing equipment.