§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much of the budget for repairing local roads in England announced on 13 November is(a) direct grant to local authorities and (b) supplementary credit approval. [139594]
§ Mr. HillThe funding for 2001–02 will be provided as supplementary credit approvals. It is intended that the funding for 2002–03 will be provided through the Single Capital Pot as basic credit approvals.
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the impact will be on the amount local authorities will spend on the maintenance of local roads in 2001–02 as a result of his statement of 13 November. [139593]
§ Mr. HillThe statement said that we will provide £535 million to fund capital maintenance works on local highways in 2001–02, an increase of 103 per cent. compared to 2000–01. The –1,905 million that will be provided next year through the Highways Maintenance Standard Spending Assessment for Revenue Support Grant is an increase of 2.5 per cent. compared to 2000–01. Taken together these figures represent an overall increase of 15 per cent. in the amount available to local authorities for highway maintenance in 2001–02 compared to the previous year.