§ Mr. SumbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many properties have been purchased by his Department within the Bury, South constituency arising out of his proposals for the M62 relief road;
(2) how many properties have been let by his Department within the Bury, South constituency arising 160W out of his proposals for the M62 relief road; and how many of such properties have their rent paid in whole or in part out of public funds.
§ Mr. KeyThese are operational matters for the Highways Agency. The chief executive has written to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. David Sumberg, dated 23 May 1994:
I refer to your two questions to the Secretary of State for Transport tabled in the House for written reply on 20 May, about properties purchased and let in connection with the proposed M62 Relief Road. As Robert Key has explained to the House, these are operational matters on which I have been asked to reply.We have now completed purchase on 89 properties within the Bury South constituency. Of these, 17 have been let by our interim letting agent. As far as we are aware, none of these properties has their rents paid in whole or part, from public funds. In all cases our letting agents have provided an employer's reference for the tenant.As I explained in a previous reply, a full management agreement will be offered for tender shortly. The present agents are having to deal with a large number of properties becoming available over a short period. In addition, we are finding that some properties require repair and maintenance before they are in a suitable condition for letting.