§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ban the carrying of mixed cargoes in ships transporting animal feedstuffs.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe codes drawn up by the International Maritime Organisation to regulate the260W allocated and how to bid for the relevant TSG. The local authority associations will be consulted about this in the usual way. In the interim authorities will need to plan composite bridge strengthening programme in consultation, where appropriate, with the regional offices of DTp in order to be able to meet the EC deadline and to achieve a significant improvement in carriageway condition, first on major roads.
Local authorities are expected to respond to the change in classification by increasing capital expenditure, and reducing current expenditure, by the amount of the transfer. Authorities are expected to increase their effort on structural maintenance, and the amount transferred to capital will be greater than authorities are currently spending on this. Conversely, the overall reduction in current expenditure will need to be greater than the amount currently spent on structural maintenance; this can be achieved through efficiency savings in routine maintenance which have been recommended by the Audit Commission. Overall there should be no overall increase in local authority spending; the increase in capital expenditure should be offset by an equivalent reduction in current expenditure. The Government will take steps to monitor closely both capital and current expenditure on maintenance in the first year, and in subsequent years. Second and subsequent year transfers will be dependent on authorities responding in the desired way.
The Government believe that this change will help to ensure that the nation's road system is well maintained and is able to provide for heavier lorries from 1999.