§ Mr. Norman Fowlerasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a statement on the effect that industrial action by members of NUPE has had upon salting roads; whether he will detail those areas of the country most affected; and what action he proposes to take.
§ Mr. William RodgersIn severe weather any interruption of winter maintentenance arrangements can result in an accumulation of ice and snow giving rise to dangerous road conditions. The areas affected vary with the severity of the weather.
At midday today the combination of weather conditions and industrial action has closed the A66 and A 1(M) in Durham. In West Yorkshire the M62 is passable but industrial action is keeping a maintenance compound out of action. All trans-Pennines routes are affected to some extent—partly as a result of there being no weekend work. Generally other roads are open, although industrial action has affected some of them. The A34 in Oxfordshire has been a specific target for industrial action and is still badly affected.
The Government have contingency plans ready for the use of troops if the local situation warrants it and it is not possible to get the work done any other way.