§ Mr. Michael BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement regarding the funding for Humberside county council concerning phase 3 of the Peakes parkway.
§ Mr. NorrisThe local transport capital settlement for 1995–96 which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 15 December,Official Report, columns 769–74 did not include funding for this scheme. Schemes are accepted for transport supplementary grant on condition that satisfactory progress is maintained and that costs do not rise excessively. In this case, the scheme was originally accepted for grant in 1993–94, when Humberside county council forecast that construction would start in September 1993. The latest forecast start 86W date is December 1995. Meanwhile, the estimated cost of the scheme has already risen by over 10 per cent.
In the circumstances, my right hon. Friend and I did not consider it right to maintain our commitment to fund this scheme. This does not prevent its being resubmitted for funding in a future settlement.