§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Lichfield and Tamworth on 16 July, Official Report, c. 471, on what date he expects publication of the inspector's report on the public inquiry relating to the M42 Tamworth section.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI am disappointed to hear that the inspector does not now expect to be able to complete his report before the end of January. We will publish it when we announce decisions on the draft orders to which it refers. I hope to be able to do this within about six months of receiving the report. I have already taken steps to ensure that we never again have an inspector appointed to conduct two inquiries close together in time, which has caused the difficulty in this case.