HC Deb 17 June 2002 vol 387 cc75-6W
Mr. Oaten

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the criteria for establishing priorities for the resurfacing of concrete trunk roads. [61321]

Mr. Jamieson

[holding answer 13 June 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd, West (Gareth Thomas) on 17 October 2001, Official Report, columns 1228–29W.

Mr. Oaten

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the money allocated for noise reduction work on the motorway network for 2001–02 was spent. [61322]

Mr. Jamieson

[holding answer 13 June 2002]: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr. Mark Oaten: I have been asked by the Transport Minister, David Jamieson, to reply to your recently Parliamentary Question about noise reduction work on the motorway network. Traffic noise on the network as a whole is being tackled through programmes of quieter surfacing and noise mitigation measures, such as noise barriers. I regret that it is not possible to identify spend solely on the motorway network. However, last year we were asked to spend at least £5m to provide noise mitigation measures across the network as a whole as set out in Hansard (Column 682 in November 1999) and spent £7.2m. Funding for quieter surfaces is allocated as part of our Roads Renewals budget. Last year we spend £252.4m, marginally more than our allocation of £249.3m.