§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what standard planning horizon is used when assessing the economic benefits of road schemes.
§ Mr. Kenneth CarlisleThe appraisal of trunk road schemes takes account of costs and benefits over a 30-year period.
§ Mrs. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has commissioned into the indirect economic benefits resulting from road building in the last 10 years; and what plans he has to commission further research on this subject.
§ Mr. Kenneth CarlisleDuring the past 10 years, the only research my Department has conducted into these matters was an internal review into whether there were benefits to tourism from road improvements additonal to those included in the usual appraisal of the economic benefits. The review concluded that in a country with well-developed transport links, there were unlikely to be benefits additional to those usually considered. The review was published by the Department as, "Tourism, Leisure —and Roads" in October 1987. My Department has no plans to undertake further research on this subject.