§ Mr. David Marshallasked the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department monitors local authorities' highway construction programmes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. ChalkerWe rely on local authorities' returns to the Department of the Environment for overall figures for their capital expenditure on road construction. Authorities provide information about their road construction programmes to my Department through their transport policies and programmes (TPPs) which they submit annually. These give information primarily about their policies and future programmes. They have, however, also provided information about past expenditure on the progress of individual highway construction programmes, but in a degree of detail which has varied from authority to authority.
With the changes to transport supplementary grant introduced for 1985–86, we shall be seeking more detailed and systematic information about the progress and costs of highway programmes in future TPPs. My Department will be giving authorities guidance on the preparation of TPPs for 1986–87 shortly.