§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the criteria used to reject the Essex County Council local highway authority's 1999–2000 bid for capital funding for the Great Leighs bypass; and if he will make a statement. [90542]
§ Ms Glenda Jackson[holding answer 12 July 1999]: In the 1999–2000 local transport capital settlement, this Department was able to accept only five local transport major schemes. These included innovative public transport schemes where early acceptance was needed to lever in substantial financial contributions from other sources, the urgent replacement of a bridge on a vital route, and a regeneration scheme linked to a coalfields area.