§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will present in the Official Report figures showing the source of funds from (a) central and (b) local government for the following items of outturn expenditure in 1979–80 (i) trunk roads, (ii) local roads and (iii) other road-related expenditure.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeCentral Government are directly responsible for expenditure on motorways and trunk roads. They also make residual payments to local authorities of specific grants towards expenditure incurred on principal roads before 1 April 1975, give grants under the Local Employment Act 1972 to local authorities and private developers towards the costs of roads serving industrial facilities in assisted areas, and make loans to the Humber Bridge Board for 75 per cent. of the bridge construction costs. All this expenditure is met through the Votes from the Consolidated Fund. Expenditure in England in 1979–80 is recorded in the appropriation accounts, Class VI, Vote 3.
Expenditure on roads by local authorities is financed partly by rate support grant and transport supplementary grant, which are met through the Votes from the Consolidated Fund. Both are block grants and are not specific to expenditure on roads. The remainder of the expenditure by local authorities is financed partly from rate income and partly from borrowing and other sources. A more detailed breakdown is not available.
New town corporations and the Commission for the New Towns contribute towards the cost of some roads in new town designated areas. The principal source of this expenditure is borrowing from the National Loans Fund.
§ Mr. Muddasked the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will present in the Official Report figures showing expenditure on (a) trunk, (b) local and (c) total road construction in each of the English regions in 1979–80.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe information requested will be published in "Transport Statistics Great Britain" later this year, but I shall be writing to my hon. Friend in the meantime.