§ 50. Mr. J. E. B. Hillasked the Minister of Transport what is his estimate of the damage to roads, bridges and other communications caused by recent weather conditions; and what additional financial assistance will be given to local highway authorities to enable repairs and urgent maintenance to be carried out as fast as physical conditions permit.
§ Mr. CarmichaelIt is too early for accurate assessment, but on present information we expect the cost of reconstructing or repairing roads, bridges, nationalised inland waterways and railways, damaged by the floods in mid-September, to be of the order of £1,800,000.
The cost of work on trunk roads will be borne by the Department, and we will also consider for grant any necessary work on principal roads arising out of the floods which falls within the accepted definition of improvement.