Roads Programme Review (Hansard, 19 June 1997)

§ Baroness Hayman

My right honourable friend the Minister for Transport has today launched the Roads Review. The objective of the review will be to determine the role which roads should play in an integrated transport policy and to establish a forward investment programme for the trunk road network in England.

The review will be broadly based. Unlike reviews carried out by the previous government, it will not merely consider what road schemes should be added to or deleted from the trunk roads programme. It will look afresh at the environmental impact of roads and take into account parallel work on developing an integrated transport policy for the UK which my right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced recently, including, in particular, work on issues such as whether steps should be taken to manage demand for travel by road, and if so, what means should be used; and, the extent to which we should encourage the use of other modes of transport. It will also consider the role which new technology and improved information systems can play; and the impact which investment in roads could have on regional development. The Roads Review, work on an integrated transport policy and the comprehensive spending review will be very closely co-ordinated.

We intend to consult widely during the course of the review. During the next few weeks my department will be consulting key representative bodies both about the range of issues which need to be covered and how we might involve them effectively in the review. We then intend to launch a public consultation in July, inviting responses by the end of October. We would particularly value contributions from the Regional Planning Conferences, local authorities and other regional bodies. We shall consider in due course what arrangements will be appropriate for continuing regional consultations on trunk road planning beyond the review, taking account of the comments received in response to the previous government's proposal to bring trunk roads within the regional planning guidance system.

We hope to announce the conclusions of the review next spring. In the interim, the Highways Agency will continue to take forward maintenance work, small safety schemes, and two re-signing projects in line with existing plans. Schemes on which construction is 141WA already well advanced will continue, but preparatory work on new major schemes will he put on hold at the end of the current stage, except in the relatively few cases in which some procedural step needs to be taken to ensure that work done to date is not lost should we ultimately decide that the scheme should be taken forward. Work on developer funded schemes will also continue as these schemes either have been or will be scrutinised thoroughly in the appropriate planning processes and they are generally small improvements which do not have any wider strategic significance.

There are also 12 cases on which urgent decisions are pending. We therefore propose to carry out an accelerated review of these cases against the criteria of accessibility, safety, economy and environmental impact and announce our decisions on them in July. It may be that in some of these cases we decide in July that a decision cannot be taken in advance of the main review. In the majority of cases we will take a decision either to take the scheme forward or to abandon it. The cases in question are:

Birmingham Northern Relief Road (BNRR)

M.25 Junctions 12–15

M.66 Denton—Middleton Contract 3

A.2/M.2 Cobham J4 widening

Salisbury Bypass/Wessex Link DBFO

A.564 Derby Southern Bypass Contract B

Weald and Downland DBFO

Cumbria Bradford DBFO

South Midlands Network DBFO

A.40 West London Approach DBFO

Award of Tender Notices published in the Official Journal by London Underground Limited (LUL) in 1996–97
Date of award notice	Reference	Description	Successful tenderer
6 April 1996	95/S156–83368/EN	Supply, install and maintain Computer Software system	Comshare Ltd.
18 May 1996	95/S111–57775/EN	Supply, installation, training, management and maintenance of EPOS terminals	International Computers Ltd.
24 May 1996	94/S188–67924/EN	Supply of fabricated rail chairs	Balfour Beatty Railway Engineering Ltd.
24 May 1996	94/S188–67924/EN	Supply of tunnel segments	Ferry-Capitain
13 June 1996	95/S73–35353/EN	Supply and installation of fibre optic equipment	Nokia Telecommunications
9 July 1996	94/S251–94578/EN	Replacement of conductor rail—works	John Mowlem plc.
19 July 1996	95/S156–83231/EN	Supply, delivery and collection of video tapes for security purposes	Securicor Omega Office Services Ltd.
24 August 1996	95/S238–129064/EN	Signal and track maintenance	SWIM Co. Ltd.
29 August 1996	94/S166–59452/EN	Supply rubber/metal bonded components	Dunlop Ltd. and GMT Rubber Metal Technic Ltd.
30 August 1996	95/S153–81186/EN	Supply of brake blocks	BBA Friction Ltd. and Ferodo Ltd.
30 August 1996	92/S243–49842/EN	Supply of carbon brushes	Electrical Carbon Ltd. and Morganite Electrical Carbon Ltd.
5 September 1996	95/S105–55048/EN	Service exchange of train-borne fire extinguishers	The Pyrene Company
5 October 1996	96/S44–22487/EN	Security guarding	Command Security Services Ltd.
5 October 1996	95/S67–31730/EN	Design and construction of embankment stabilisation	Keller Colcrete
5 October 1996	95/S67–31730/EN	Design and construction of embankment stabilisation	Keller Colcrete
15 October 1996	94/S233–84908/EN	Cleaning of train fleet and depot	ISS London Ltd.
15 October 1996	95/S67–31723/EN	Facilities maintenance, including station cleaning, building maintenance and electrical maintenance	Swirl Service Group Ltd.
25 October 1996	96/S134–78876/EN	Operation, management and development of an existing centralised engineering library and information	Instant Library Ltd.
30 October 1996	96/S15–6303/EN	Supply of electricity for traction current supply	Eastern Group
30 October 1996	96/S15–6303/EN	Supply of electricity for various sites	Seeboard plc

142WA

A.13 Thames Gateway DBFO

M.62E/M.606 Link Roads.