§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales whether his estimate of £3 million as the cost of replacing monoglot by bilingual signs was confined to place-names which have both a known Welsh and English form.
§ Mr. George ThomasThe estimate was based on the best available global figures for the replacement of all signs on trunk and local authority roads on which words are written.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many bilingual road signs were included in his estimate of £3 million as the cost of replacing current monoglot signs;
(2) how many bilingual road signs were included in his estimate of £3 million as the cost of replacing present monoglot ones by bilingual signs.
§ Mr. George ThomasThe estimate was based on total costs and not on the number of individual signs provided.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the cost of erecting new road signs in Wales in 1967 to 1969; and what is his estimate for the completion of the work.
§ Mr. George ThomasFor trunk roads (excluding signs erected as part of a road improvement scheme) expenditure in the financial years 1967–68 to 1969–70 is expected to be about £246,000. About £25,000 will be required to complete this work on trunk roads. Information about signs erected on trunk roads as part of a road improvement scheme, and on local authorities' roads is not readily available.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the cost which will be involved 194W in converting road signs in Wales to metric linear measures.
§ Mr. George ThomasNo estimate can at present be made as the method of conversion has not yet been decided.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the proportion of place-name road signs in Wales which have a Welsh or English form alone without an alternative in the other language; and what proportion have both forms.
§ Mr. George ThomasI regret that this information is not available and could not be obtained without disproprotionate cost.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to delete one or two of the place-names on road signs where there are three or four names, and to replace them with Welsh forms of the remaining name or names.
§ Mr. George ThomasNo. Any reduction in the number of destinations shown on route confirmatory signs would defeat the object of the signs.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to start placing bilingual directional road signs on Welsh roads.
§ Mr. George ThomasI am proposing to authorise about thirty types of local informatory directional signs and town name plate signs in bilingual form. This general authorisation will be included in new Traffic Sign Regulations and General Directions which will be made as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the extra cost involved in putting up a hundred bilingual rather than monoglot directional road signs; and what is the cost expressed as a proportion of the total.
§ Mr. George ThomasThe cost of any road sign varies so considerably according to the type, size, lettering and amount of information provided that it is not possible to give a realistic estimate in 195W this form. On average, I estimate that bilingual signs would cost two-thirds more than the equivalent monoglot signs.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the extra cost incurred in erecting the same number of bilingual signs as were put up in monoglot form following the issuing of circular 37/67 by the Welsh Office Roads Division.
§ Mr. George ThomasThis information is not available as highway authorities were not required to submit details to me
196W of the number or cost of signs erected in replacement of the old type mandatory and prohibitory signs.
Board or Committee Number of Members Number appointed by Secretary of State for Wales Central Housing Advisory Committee … 30 3 Water Resources Board … 8 8‡ Ancient Monuments Board for Wales … 13 13 Hill Farming Advisory Committee Sub-Committee for Wales and Monmouthshire … 11 11* Historic Buildings Council for Wales … 7 7 Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales … 4 1* Passenger Transport Co-ordinating Committee for Wales … 13 9 Rent Assessment Panel for Wales … 51 35 Sports Council for Wales … 69 5 Wales Tourist Board … 6 6 Welsh Council … 37 37 Welsh Hospital Board … 32 32 Welsh Joint Pricing Committee … 14 4 Welsh Language Advisory Translation Panel … 10 10 Anglesey National Health Service Executive Council … 30 7 Anglesey Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12* Brecon Beacons National Park Joint Advisory Committee … 18 6 Breconshire Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12* Breconshire National Health Service Executive Council … 30 7 Breconshire Park Planning Committee … 20 7 Board of Governors, United Cardiff Hospitals … 30 30 Caernarvonshire Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12* Caernarvonshire National Health Service Executive Council … 30 7 Caernarvonshire Park Planning Committee … 18 6 Cardiganshire Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12* Cardiganshire National Health Service Executive Council … 30 7 Carmarthenshire Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12* Carmarthenshire National Health Service Executive Council … 30 7 Carmarthenshire Park Planning Committee … 9 3 Cardiff National Health Service Executive Council … 30 7 Cwmbran Development Corporation … 9 9 Dee and Clwyd River Authority … 25 5 (12) *† Denbighshire Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12* Denbighshire/Flintshire National Health Service Executive Council 30 7 Denbighshire Park Planning Committee … 9 3 Flintshire Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12* Forestry Commission Reference Panel—North Wales Conservancy 8 8 Forestry Commission Reference Panel—South Wales Conservancy 7 7 Glamorgan Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12* Glamorgan National Health Service Executive Council … 30 7 Glamorgan River Authority … 23 5 (ll)*† Gwynedd River Authority … 27 4 (13)*† Lancashire and Western Sea Fisheries Committee … 86 38* Merioneth Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12* Merioneth National Health Service Executive Council … 30 7 Merioneth Park Planning Committee … 16 4 Merthyr Tydfil National Health Service Executive Council … 30 7 Mid-Wales New Town Development Corporation … 9 9 Monmouthshire Agricultural Executive Committee … 12 12*