§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Minister of Transport (1) what study he has made of public expenditure cuts on road safety;
(2) what steps he is taking to monitor the effects which cuts in public expenditure have on road accidents; and if he will gather statistics at frequent intervals on changes in the numbers of road accidents, deaths and injuries.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNone, but I have seen no evidence to suggest that there might be any relationship between public expenditure levels and road safety in recent years. We collect and publish extensive statistics of road accidents and an analysis of them is published annually in "Road Accidents Great Britain" published by HMSO.
§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Minister of Transport what are the latest figures available for road accidents, deaths and injuries; and how these compare with corresponding figures in recent years.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeRecent figures for reported accidents are:
§ Mr. FowlerI have received no such representations. The case for main line electrification generally is considered in the joint review by my Department and British Rail which will be published early in the New Year.