§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions if orders have been submitted for(a) the Leicester Eastern district distributor road and (b) the Leicester A46–47 link road scheme stage 2. [8324]
§ Ms Glenda Jackson(a) No; (b) Yes.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the funding considerations underlying his Department's advice to the city council to apply for funding through the 1998–99 TPP bid for the Leicester A46–47 trunk road. [8325]
§ Ms JacksonMy Department's advice was that if the City Council wished the A46–47 scheme to have any possibility of obtaining funding under the 1998–99 TPP settlement they must bid for it. In giving the advice it was made clear that there can be no guarantee of funding for this or any other project, ahead of the settlement.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's policy on the construction of the Leicester A46–47 link road; and what priority it accords to(a) environmental issues and (b) economic benefit in determining this policy. [8326]
§ Ms. JacksonThe policy on the construction of the A46–47 link road is the same as that for all road schemes presented to the Secretary of State. The overall merits are assessed in the context of the public interest.
288WThe A46–47 forms part of the accepted package of transport proposals which constitute the Central Leicestershire Package. Advice on the appraisal of projects and on the preparation of package bids is issued to authorities each year. This covers, inter alia, environmental issues and economic benefit.