§ Mr. SweeneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what conclusions he has reached on the pattern of trunk road agencies following local government reorganisation; and if he will make a statement. [18811]
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesTransition committees were invited to submit proposals for new trunk road agencies to replace the existing eight agencies after April 1996. Proposals were received from nine transition committees or groups of transition committees. These have been assessed and I have decided to appoint eight new agencies arranged geographically to give the minimum change from the present agency boundaries. This I believe will be welcomed in reducing disruption to staff and working procedures during the reorganisation.
I have selected the following proposals:
North East Wales—the proposal from the transition committees of Aberconwy and Colwyn, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham acting in partnership for the trunk roads in the area covering the present county of Clwyd plus Aberconwy.North West Wales—the proposal from Caernarfonshire and Merionnethshire transition committee and supported by Anglesey transition committee but amended to exclude the trunk roads in the Aberconwy and Colwyn unitary authority for the trunk roads in the area covering the present county of Gwynedd less Aberconwy.Mid Wales—the proposal from Powys transition committee for the trunk roads in the area of the present county of Powys.West Wales—the proposal from Carmarthenshire transition committee, supported by Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire transition committees for the trunk roads in the area covering the present county of Dyfed.West Glamorgan—I have selected the proposal from Neath and Port Talbot transition committee in preference to the proposal from County of Swansea transition committee for the trunk road and motorway in the area covering the present county of West Glamorgan.Mid Glamorgan—the joint proposal from Bridgend, Rhondda. Cynon Taff and Merthyr Tydfil transition committees for the trunk roads and motorway in the area covering the present county of Mid Glamorgan.South Glamorgan—the proposal from Cardiff transition committee for the trunk roads and motorway in the area covering the present county of South Glamorgan.Gwent—the joint proposal from Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen transition committees for the trunk roads and motorways in the area covering the present county of Gwent.Shadow authorities, when formed, will be asked to confirm their acceptance of the proposed agencies, to produce service delivery plans for detailed consideration by the Welsh Office, and to agree with the Welsh Office 1083W the terms of the new agency agreements to take effect from 1 April 1996.
I shall be reviewing the arrangements 12 months after their introduction and assessing their adequacy and viability particularly where the agencies have a relatively small trunk road mileage.