§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) in what way the nomination of the Neath to Amman-ford and Llanwrda to Lampeter road as a principal road as from 1st April will result in improvements arising from its enhanced status;
(2) whether the re-description of the class 1 road from Neath to Ammanford and Llanwrda to Lampeter will lead to improvement in its quality and efficiency;
322W(3) if the re-description of the class 1 Neath to Ammanford and Llanwrda to Lampeter road as a principal road as from 1st April will attract additional grant;
(4) what will be the rise in the percentage of the grant paid to the local authorities concerned to reclassify and maintain the Neath-Ammanford and Llanwrda-Lampeter road as a principal road Pe from 1st April;
(5) in what ways will the standard of the Neath-Ammanford and Llanwrda-Lampeter road differ, when it is reclassified as a principal road on 1st April, from the trunk road from Ammanford to Llanwrda.
§ Mr. Cledwyn HughesThe changes in the status of these roads are a consequence of the provisions of the Local Government Act, 1966, which are described in paragraphs 7.3 to 7.6 of the report by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport for the year ending 31st March, 1966. The status now given to the roads does not of itself imply any change in their standard.
Local authorities will receive specific exchequer grants at the rate of 75 per cent. for the improvement of principal roads, but the cost of maintenance will, in future, be met from the Rate Support Grant.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales how he defines trunk, principal and class 1 roads, respectively, as applied to proposed reclassification as a principal road of the class 1 road from Neath-Ammanford and Llanwrda-Lampeter road, which is linked by the trunk road from Ammanford to Llanwrda.
§ Mr. Cledwyn HughesTrunk roads form part of an integrated system of national routes justifying full central Government responsibility for their planning, maintenance and improvement. The Ammanford-Llanwrda Road is part of the London-Fishguard Trunk Route (A.40).
Principal roads are those with a sufficiently important place in the national 323W highway system to justify central Government interest in their planning and exchequer assistance toward their improvement.
There will be no class 1 roads after 1st April, 1967.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many miles of motorway per million people he has plans for in Wales by 1970.
§ Mr. Cledwyn Hughes8.9 miles.