§ Mr. Thorntonasked the Minister of Transport if he will publish at actual and at constant prices the figures for expenditure on roads for each of the past 15 years in (a) England and Wales as a whole, (b) the metropolitan areas, including the GLC, and (c) Merseyside.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe answer is as follows:
229WThe information for 1974–75 to 1978–79 is as follows:—
1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 Outturn prices 1978 Survey prices Outturn prices 1978 Survey prices Outturn prices 1978 Survey prices Outturn prices 1978 Survey prices Outturn prices 1978 Survey prices England and Wales … 1,081.1 1,681.7 1,343.2 1,714.1 1,380.7 1,554.8 1,282.9 1,251.9 1,404 1,299 (provisional) Metropolitan Area … 302.4 470.2 358.8 457.8 361.9 407.5 351.3 342.9 not yet available Merseyside … 28.5 44.3 27.2 34.7 26.9 30.3 23.5 22.9 Comparisons with the metropolitan areas and Merseyside are not possible for the years prior to 1974–75 because of local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974. Expenditure in England and Wales at outturn prices in 1964–65 to 1973–74 was:
£million at outturn prices 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 319.2 329.6 360.4 444.0 473.3 578.6 714.9 737.8 835.8 986.1 Figures of expenditure at constant prices in the earlier years are not readily available.
230W