§ Mr. Michael Heseltineasked the Minister of Transport how much, in terms of both expenditure and as a percentage of the total, of the work of supplying and planting trees and shrubs alongside motorways and trunk roads is granted by his Department without advance tendering for competitive estimates.
Mr. Bob BrownFor the supply of trees and shrubs the amount directly spent 153W by the Ministry in the financial year 1968–69 without inviting quotations was £7,605. This sum was 25 per cent. of the total direct expenditure on these items in that year.
In the same year direct expenditure on planting work without inviting quotations was £71,345, representing 87 pet cent. of the total direct expenditure on this work in that year.
These amounts do not include expenditure by certain agent authorities on the supply and planting of trees for landscaping on trunk roads, for which details are not readily available.