HC Deb 20 April 1988 vol 131 cc438-9W
Mr. Steinberg

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average cost of the annual maintenance and upkeep of the United Kingdom's trunk roads and motorways.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

The average cost per mile of all maintenance on trunk motorways and other trunk roads in Great Britain is estimated to be about £42,000 in 1988/89. Comparable figures for Northern Ireland are not available because of the different classification of roads there.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that no extension of the practice of securing the management of motorway maintenance by engineering consultations, as set down in "Policy for Roads in England : 1987," Cm 125/1, will take place until the initial five-year contract periods in Greater Manchester and south-west Yorkshire have been completed; and if he will publish his Department's assessment of the relevant consultant's performance.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

I see no reason to delay assessment of the consultants' performance until the end of the five-year period. The Department intends to carry out in the next few months an assessment of the cost and the level of service of contracted-out motorway maintenance in comparison with those of conventional agency arrangements. We intend to present the results and conclusions of the appraisal to the standing committee on highway maintenance.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to publish any audits resulting from his Department's proposal for the technical auditing of motorways and trunk road maintenance.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

Technical audit is intended to improve the performance of the Department's agents and consultants through the indentification of good practice that can be brought to the attention of other agents and consultants. The Department intends to commence technical audit on a general basis in 1989–90. The Department will discuss with representatives of its agents and consultants whether publication of individual audits would help or hinder the objective.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish immediately the details of the contract between his Department and the engineering consultants engaged in motorway maintenance for his Department in Greater Manchester and South and West Yorkshire; and if he will make it his policy to publish future such contracts.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

The details of all departmental contracts are commercially confidential. They are not published. I am placing the model agreement for motorway maintenance commissions in the Library.