§ Mr. David Marshallasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the number of jobs supported by the £120 million of expenditure on labour identified in the breakdown of the trunk road budget given in the Official Report, 21 March, column 541.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe Department does not keep records of this kind. The labour cost figure of £120 million is derived from analysis of accepted tenders, which show estimated costs rather than numbers to be employed. The latter can vary substantially depending on the size and nature of a contract, the amount of overtime worked and the working practices of individual contractors. However, assuming average labour costs and a 40-hour week, £120 million would represent some 10,000 to 15,000 man-years of work. This estimate relates only to labour directly employed on new construction. Additional jobs are supported by the other elements of trunk road expenditure.