HC Deb 19 November 1991 vol 199 cc91-2W
Mr. Latham

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will give details of any time limits which have been set within his Department within which statutory procedures for the introduction or alteration of speed limits on principal roads must be completed; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

No statutory time limits are set for my Department to deal with speed limits on principal roads. They are dealt with as quickly as possible. I intend to set target times within which this work should be done in future.

Mr. Latham

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current number of formal applications submitted by local highway authorities to his east midlands regional office seeking to introduce new or revised speed limits on principal roads; how long ago the earliest submission which remains undetermined was made to his Department; and how many full-time staff are deployed on this work.

Mr. Chope

There are currently seven applications still undetermined. The earliest was submitted on 8 February 1991. No staff work exclusively on speed limit orders. Resources are deployed as and when necessary and target times within which this work should be completed are to be set to avoid such long delays.

Mr. Latham

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a statement, with specific dates, on the involvement of his Department in approving the 40 mph speed limit on the A6003 road through Preston, Rutland; and what action he intends to take to prevent any repetition in Leicestershire or Rutland of the incident by which the signs were erected but remained covered and inoperative between January and October 1991.

Mr. Chope

The formal application from Leicestershire county council was received on 21 March 1991 and after due consideration consent was notified to the county council on 20 September 1991. The erection of the necessary signs is a matter entirely for Leicestershire county council as the local highway authority. I am unable to comment on why the council chose to erect the signs in advance of the order being sent to my Department. The signs were uncovered shortly after consent was granted.