§ Mr. SpellarTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provision his Department has made in its 1994–95 budget for increased site security on its construction projects.
§ Mr. WattsThis question relates to the operational matters of the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. John Spellar, dated 17 October 1994:
The Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to write to you in reply to your Parliamentary Question about the provision made in 1994–95 budgets for increased site security on construction sites.We have made no specific provision within the Agency budget for this year for any possible increased security measures that may be necessary at our road construction sites. This of course, does not mean that we fail to recognise that there have been and will continue to be problems arising out of certain actions by anti-road protestors. We accept that some sites may pose difficulties. For instance in the 174W case of the proposed Newbury Bypass we advised tenderers that they should allow a provisional sum of £1 million for security precautions when submitting their bids.We shall of course advise tenderers of the need for any special security provisions at other sites where we consider this to be necessary.