§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide additional resources to local highway authorities specifically to enable them to deal with properties which qualify for insulation from traffic noise under the revised interpretation of the 1973 Noise Insulation Regulations.
§ Mr. PortilloNo. There is no revised interpretation of the Noise Insulation Regulation. The hon. Member may, however, be referring to the greater exercise of discretionary powers in connection with the proposed motorway widening programme, as announced in the recent roads report, which refers to motorways and other major trunk roads. It is a wider application of the existing discretionary power by the Secretary of State in relation to his trunk road programme, for which of course local authorities are not responsible.