Mr. Crouch asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take steps to reduce the time taken for the design and the preparation of orders and compulsory purchase orders for new road plans, with a view to reducing the period to considerably less than three years.
§ Mr. SpeedMy right hon. Friend takes all practicable steps to shorten the preparatory period for road works. The preparation pool and firm programme arrangements, the more flexible procedures recently introduced under the Highways Act, 1971, and the adoption of modern managements techniques are all helping to keep it to a minimum.