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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the opportunity to pay tribute to the very great efforts that have been and are still being made by the civil service in support of all operations in the Gulf.
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent 1st Armoured Division has been dependent on assistance from non- United Kingdom helicopters during the Gulf conflict.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The 1st Armoured Division operated as an integral part of the United States 7th Army Corps and, as such, British commanders were able to call
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on United States helicopter assistance. British Army and RAF helicopters undertook similar missions in support of United States ground forces.Radiation
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give a breakdown for (a) Rosyth dockyard, (b) Devonport dockyard, (c) Aldermaston atomic weapons establishment and (d) Coulport RNAD of individual radiation dose exposures for workers in the bands (i) 0 to 10, (ii) 10 to 15, (iii) 15 to 20, (iv) 20 to 30, (v) 30 to 40 and (vi) greater than 40 mSv for the year 1990.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The final radiation dose exposures for 1990 in respect of workers at these establishments are not yet available.
War Widows' Pensions
Mr. Viggers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will explain the rules which govern the restoration of a widow's pension in circumstances where a woman has been widowed a first time and granted a Ministry of Defence pension, subsequently remarries, so losing her Ministry of Defence pension, and is then widowed a second time and seeks restoration of her Ministry of Defence pension.
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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Under the rules both of the armed forces pension scheme and of the principal civil service pension scheme, a widow loses her entitlement to a widow's pension on remarriage. Any subsequent resumption of payment is discretionary, but a pension may be restored to a widow on second widowhood if she is worse off after her second husband's death, without her former public service widow's pension, than she was on first widowhood with that pension. Discretion to restore the pension lies with the Ministry of Defence in respect of the armed forces pension scheme, and with Her Majesty's Treasury in respect of the principal civil service pension scheme. In both cases, account is taken of all the widow's financial circumstances, including any pension entitlement which may accrue to her from her second marriage.Members of the European Parliament
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters ; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend has received six letters from Members of the European Parliament about local or national matters since 4 January 1990. If there is no European Community content in the MEP's letter and a constituency interest predominates, the MEP would be advised to refer the case to the MP for the constituency concerned.
Missiles
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the reasons for the delay so far in the issue of the invitation to tender--ITT--for ASRAAM--the advanced short-range air-to-air missile.
Mr. Alan Clark : It is taking longer than we hoped to finalise the terms of the ITT because of the complexities associated with this procurement.
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent so far by his Department on the ASRAAM project.
Mr. Alan Clark : This information is classified.
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he intends to preserve the family of weapons now covering the advanced short- range and medium-range air-to-air missiles.
Mr. Alan Clark : We are currently discussing with the United States the status of the family of weapons memorandum of understanding.
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether any missile other than BAe's ASRAAM proposal meets the specification of staff requirement (air) 1234.
(2) whether the British Aerospace ASRAAM proposal meets the specification of staff requirement (air) 1234.
Mr. Alan Clark : The evaluation of responses to the ITT will determine which proposals meet the specification of SR(A) 1234.
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Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when an invitation to tender for ASRAAM will be released to industry.
Mr. Alan Clark : The ITT will be issued as soon as possible.
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department intends to proceed with a European solution to the ASRAAM requirement.
Mr. Alan Clark : We plan to seek competitive proposals for solutions to our advanced short-range missile requirements.
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated benefit to the United Kingdom of the export potential of ASRAAM.
Mr. Alan Clark : It is too early to say.
No Smoking Day
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Department is publicising national No Smoking Day by the distribution of some 2,000 posters and by a message to all staff encouraging them to give up smoking. The Department's policy is to discourage smoking at the workplace. Counselling is available for those who wish to give up.
Territorial Army
Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the number of personnel in the Territorial Army in 1979, 1985 and 1991.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The strength of the Territorial Army, including the Home Service Force was, as at 31 January in each year, 59,103 in 1979, 73,462 in 1985 and 75,135 in 1991.
Gulf Casualties
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pension or other payments will be made (a) to the relatives of British service men killed in the Gulf war, and (b) to service men disabled in the Gulf war.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Pensions and other benefits are payable in respect of casualties of the Gulf conflict under the provisions of the armed forces pension scheme.
In respect of personnel killed these take the form of lump sums and a pension to an eligible widow(er), with an additional pension in respect of each eligible child up to a maximum of four ; where there is no eligible widow(er), benefits in respect of any eligibile children are increased. A lump sum is payable into the estate of a service man or service woman who leaves neither an eligible widow(er) nor an eligible child.
Personnel invalided as the result of injury which is attributable to service receive a lump sum or sums and, where disability is assessed at 20 per cent. or more or qualifying service given is at least two years, a pension.
The amounts payable are related to service rank held and also, in the case of personnel discharged as the result of injury, to the assessed degree of disability. In certain circumstances the length of service given is also relevant.
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Benefits are also payable under the provisions of the war pensions scheme administered by the Department of Social Security.Main Battle Tank
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will announce the awarding of the contract for main battle tanks for the British Army ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) on 8 March at columns 290-91.
SOCIAL SECURITY
State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 4 February, Official Report, columns 58-59, on the real value of SERPS, if he will give the figures for the scheme as it was before the Social Security Act 1986 changes, but otherwise on the same basis.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is in the table. It is important to note that calculations of this nature can provide only a hypothetical view of the distant future based, as they are, on unchanged assumptions about economic variables and policies.
Amounts of additional pension at award in 1990 price terms pre
1986 act basis weekly amounts of additional pension payable on
retirement on 6 April each year
Year |UEL<1> |Average |Half average
|earnings |earnings
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1990 |48.65 |31.85 |12.70
1991 |53.20 |34.95 |13.90
1992 |57.55 |38.10 |15.15
1993 |62.15 |41.50 |16.65
1994 |66.70 |44.90 |18.00
1995 |71.35 |48.40 |19.45
1996 |76.25 |52.25 |21.15
1997 |81.10 |56.00 |22.75
1998 |86.00 |59.90 |24.45
1999 |87.25 |60.85 |24.85
2000 |88.75 |61.95 |25.45
2001 |90.10 |62.95 |25.95
2002 |91.55 |64.00 |26.45
2003 |93.00 |65.05 |26.95
2004 |94.50 |66.20 |27.55
2005 |96.05 |67.35 |28.15
2006 |97.55 |68.40 |28.65
2007 |99.10 |69.55 |29.20
2008 |100.65 |70.70 |29.80
2009 |102.30 |71.90 |30.40
2010 |103.90 |73.05 |30.95
2011 |105.50 |74.25 |31.55
2012 |107.20 |75.45 |32.20
2013 |108.85 |76.65 |32.75
2014 |110.55 |77.90 |33.35
2015 |112.30 |79.20 |34.00
2016 |114.10 |80.55 |34.70
2017 |115.90 |81.85 |35.35
2018 |117.65 |83.10 |36.00
2019 |119.55 |84.50 |36.70
2020 |121.35 |85.80 |37.35
2021 |123.30 |87.25 |38.05
2022 |125.20 |88.65 |38.75
2023 |127.15 |90.05 |39.45
2024 |129.15 |91.50 |40.20
2025 |131.10 |92.95 |40.90
2026 |133.15 |94.45 |41.65
2027 |135.25 |95.95 |42.40
2028 |135.50 |97.20 |43.05
2029 |135.85 |98.30 |43.55
From 1990 onwards 5 per cent. prices and 6.5 per cent. earnings
assumed.
<1> UEL=Upper Earnings Limit.
Unemployed Persons (Costs)
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he makes of the average cost to the Treasury of each unemployed person in unemployment benefit and lost revenues from taxes and national insurance.
Mr. Jack : In 1990-91 the estimated average weekly cost of unemployment benefit per person was £40.35. Estimates of national insurance and tax revenue forgone are not available.
War Widow's Pensions
Mr. Viggers : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will explain the rules which govern the restoration of a widow's pension in circumstances where a woman has been widowed a first time and granted a war widow's pension, subsequently remarries and loses her war widow's pension, and is then widowed a second time and seeks restoration of her war widow's pension.
Miss Widdecombe : War widow's pensions cease on remarriage. Widows of ranks other than officers receive a gratuity equal to one year's war widow's pension, but may not have their pension restored if widowed through non-service causes a second time. Officers' widows do not receive a gratuity, but if widowed a second time, may have their war widow's pension reinstated subject to need. In effect this means that any other income is topped up to the level of war widow's pensions. A joint working group set up in 1985 with the Council of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations agreed that there was a need for a change in these provisions. However, there was no consensus of opinion about what changes should be made to these very long-standing provisions ; and it was decided to leave matters as they were.
Members of the European Parliament
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters ; and if he will make it his practice, where the former are concerned, to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her correspondence.
Mr. Jack : Between 4 January 1990 and 6 March 1991 we received 26 such letters. Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which concern exclusively local matters, our normal practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP refers the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to such communications would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.
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No Smoking Day
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to support smokers in his Department to give up smoking on the eighth No Smoking Day on 13 March ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : The Department has undertaken extensive publicity to make staff aware of no smoking day, including Health Education Authority posters on all notice boards, articles in house magazines, reminders in weekly circulars and competitions to encourage staff to give up smoking. In addition, under the Department's established policy on non-smoking, staff are allowed paid time off to attend recognised courses to help them stop smoking.
Social Fund Loans
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of income support claimants are now repaying social fund loans ; and what is the total outstanding loan debt.
Mr. Scott : At 31 January 1991, 10 per cent. of income support claimants were repaying social fund loans ; the total debt outstanding was £135 million.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current level of repayment of social fund loans ; and if he will remove the cash limit on local office loan budgets where repayment levels are high.
Mr. Scott : From April 1990 to the end of January, £105 million was recovered from loan expenditure. We have no plans to remove the limits on local office loan budgets, but additional budget allocations are made where appropriate.
Nursing Homes
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 6 March to the hon. Member for Wakefield, whether, if a suitable person acting on behalf of the resident placed in a care home trust is a local authority social worker, the resident would be eligible for income support.
Miss Widdecombe : Eligibility for income support is not affected by the person acting as appointee, but is based solely on the circumstances of the individual claimant.
Delayed Payments
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what steps have been taken by his Department to inform hon. Members of the Department's compensation scheme for delayed payments ; (2) what system exists for compensating those whose pension or benefit is paid more than a year late ; and if he will publish the rules which govern such a system ;
(3) how many individuals received compensation payments for delayed payments for each of the years for which figures are available ; and how many claims for such payments were unsuccessful.
Miss Widdecombe : Ex-gratia compensation may be paid when payment of benefit amounting to £50 or more has either been delayed for 12 months or longer, or interrupted for at least three months, because of clear and
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unambiguous official error. If claimants do not themselves raise the matter, the Department's local offices are required to identify cases eligible to be considered for such compensation. These arrangements are in accordance with the general principles concerning ex-gratia payments in "Government Accounting", the Treasury's guide to accounting and financial procedures in government. Each case is decided within those general principles, taking into account its particular facts and circumstances, which vary widely from case to case. The annual reports of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration have drawn attention to the availability of compensation.Payments have been made as follows :
!
Year |Number of
|individual
|payments
---------------------------------
1989-90 |385
1988-89 |529
1987-88 |911
1986-87 |654
1985-86 |540
1984-85 |171
Information on the number of unsuccessful cases is not available.
Child Support
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what period or periods he intends to prescribe as the maximum for reductions of benefit under clause 22 of the Child Support Bill ; and whether adjudication officers and social security appeal tribunals will be given unfettered discretion to decide, within the prescribed maxima, the amount and duration of such reduction.
Mr. Jack : Every child has a right to care from his or her parents, and the payment of child maintenance is one crucial way in which parents fulfil their responsibilities towards their children. A caring parent who is in receipt of income support, family credit or any other prescribed benefit will be required to co-operate with the Child Support Agency in obtaining maintenance for his or her children from the absent parent, unless there is good cause not to do so. Where there is no good cause, and the caring parent fails to fulfil this requirement, his or her benefit will be reduced.
The detailed operation of the arrangements for which clause 22 makes provision, and which will in due course be set out in regulations, is still under consideration.
Family Credit
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much has been spent on advertising family credit in each year since 1988-89 ; and what is the expected expenditure in 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Jack : The information is as follows :
This includes £1.5 million for the current TV advertising campaign drawing the attention of 6.8 million families to the
|£
---------------------------------------
1988-89 |3,061,000
1989-90 |5,835,000
1990-91 |<1>3,894,000
1991-92 |<2>3,000,000
<1>This includes £ 1.5 million for
the current TV advertising
campaign drawing the attention of 6.8
million families to the
personalised message about family
credit which now appears in child
benefit order books. This tells the
family that they may be able to get
family credit if their income is less
than the figure quoted in the
message which is individual to that
family.
<2>Expected.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many family credit awards were current, and
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what was the caseload including backdated awards at the end of each month since April 1989, for employees and self- employed people, respectively.Mr. Jack : The available information is as follows :
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- April 1989 |251,897 |235,820 |43,160 |278,980 May 1989 |235,751 |255,420 |44,620 |300,040 June 1989 |263,480 |263,200 |45,520 |308,720 July 1989 |275,414 |268,140 |45,080 |313,220 August 1989 |281,734 |269,100 |44,440 |313,540 September 1989 |288,631 |273,560 |44,700 |318,260 October 1989 |278,122 |268,880 |43,660 |312,540 November 1989 |274,194 |257,660 |43,080 |300,740 December 1989 |263,135 |249,760 |41,340 |291,100 January 1990 |265,548 |255,300 |44,100 |299,400 February 1990 |278,392 |261,960 |44,860 |306,820 March 1990 |281,559 |263,360 |45,920 |309,280 April 1990 |280,898 |267,240 |46,760 |314,000 May 1990 |268,933 |267,940 |47,260 |315,200 June 1990 |275,250 |272,360 |47,480 |319,840 July 1990 |279,856 |277,620 |48,200 |325,820 August 1990 |281,414 |- |- |<2>324,000 September 1990 |282,019 |- |- |<2>326,000 October 1990 |280,744 |- |- |<2>326,000 November 1990 |293,343 |- |- |<2>324,000 December 1990 |284,429 |- |- |<3> January 1991 |281,250 |- |- |<3> February 1991 |288,924 |- |- |<3> <1> A breakdown between employees and self-employed is not available. <2> Provisional totals: no breakdown between employers and employed at this stage. <3> Meaningful figures not yet available because of claims not yet decided.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest information he has as to the number of employees and self- employed people, respectively, who are eligible for family credit ; and whether he will arrange a special examination of 1989 and 1990 family expenditure survey returns, similar to that carried out on the 1988 return.
Mr. Jack : The latest information about the number of families eligible for family credit is from the special examination of family expenditure survey returns for 1988. This showed that the total eligible population of employees at that time was about 500,000. Reliable estimates of the number of self-employed who are eligible are not possible from family expenditure survey data. It is clear from administrative information and other research that families are moving into and out of eligibility for family credit all the time, so that the composition of the eligible population is constantly changing.
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The special examination of the 1988 family expenditure survey returns, which cost over £10,000, was undertaken in early 1989 because we were considering a major advertising campaign. The actual size of the eligible population at any one time is therefore only one, albeit important, factor which needs to be considered. We have no plans to arrange a special examination of family expenditure survey returns for 1989 and 1990.Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) new claims and (b) renewal claims for family credit were made in each month since April 1989 ; and how many and what percentage were successful, distinguishing, for both new and renewal claims, between those made by employees and those made by self-employed people.
Mr. Jack : The available information is as follows :
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Claims registered Decisions made which resulted in an awa
Number Percentage of all decis
Date |New |Renewal|Total |New |Renewal|New |Renewal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 1989 |94,900 |30,162 |125,062|20,484 |18,703 |35.4 |86.7
June 1989 |79,906 |35,340 |115,246|39,721 |34,057 |40.0 |86.5
July 1989 |41,671 |25,639 |66,948 |26,599 |23,405 |47.8 |86.5
August 1989 |37,059 |25,639 |62,698 |23,675 |24,483 |51.4 |86.5
September 1989 |47,534 |33,110 |80,644 |25,696 |28,802 |51.6 |86.7
October 1989 |39,629 |40,729 |80,358 |21,693 |28,817 |53.0 |84.0
November 1989 |45,523 |36,790 |82,313 |21,497 |33,580 |51.6 |82.2
December 1989 |42,890 |28,054 |70,944 |18,687 |25,007 |47.2 |81.4
January 1990 |43,471 |35,301 |78,772 |20,701 |29,524 |46.6 |82.4
February 1990 |46,288 |29,824 |76,112 |23,680 |28,092 |50.9 |83.9
March 1990 |50,906 |39,025 |89,931 |26,273 |31,688 |50.5 |85.4
April 1990 |41,118 |35,568 |76,686 |18,225 |24,569 |52.2 |88.3
May 1990 |50,119 |43,033 |93,152 |24,279 |34,919 |55.0 |88.4
June 1990 |43,528 |26,937 |70,465 |20,622 |26,199 |53.8 |87.7
July 1990 |45,967 |29,357 |75,324 |24,536 |27,574 |53.0 |87.0
August 1990 |53,147 |39,596 |92,531 |24,905 |29,122 |52.5 |86.0
September 1990 |42,702 |34,328 |76,546 |20,362 |25,680 |50.5 |84.3
October 1990 |41,590 |40,269 |81,625 |24,196 |33,652 |53.4 |83.8
November 1990 |50,339 |47,119 |97,458 |31,208 |46,533 |54.9 |84.3
December 1990 |21,479 |21,486 |42,965 |13,214 |19,702 |54.5 |85.0
January 1991 |27,541 |41,158 |40,405 |17,442 |31,130 |50.6 |84.1
February 1991 |47,350 |34,148 |81,498 |21,749 |31,972 |52.4 |85.0
Note:
1. The figures are for the four or five weeks ending on the last Friday of
each month.
2. Separate information for employees and self-employed people is only
available at disproportionate cost either for claims or for decisions made.
Disability
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library the full detailed secondary analysis of the reports of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys on the prevalence of disability which relate to the number of disabled people who need special diets and their eligibility or ineligibility for the new lower care component of disability living allowance ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : When devising the lower rate care component of the disability living allowance, we looked at the OPCS evidence about people who said that they had care needs in connection with bodily functions or key daily tasks, but who would not be eligible for either of the existing rates of attendance allowance. We then looked more closely at the circumstances of these people to see whether we had identified a sensible target group. In particular we looked at what other disabilities these people suffered from--including whether they needed a special diet. The evidence suggests that, as with the existing rates of benefit, the new lower rates are convenient means of identifying people with a whole range of disabilities.
TRANSPORT
Bristol Channel
17. Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the arrangements for liaison between his Department and the Ministry of Defence in the Bristol channel area ; and if he will make a statement on the work of Her Majesty's coastguard on Friday 22 February 1991 when shipping was advised to clear the area during a simulation exercise on the jettisoning of bombs by B52 bombers.
Mr. McLoughlin : Close liaison between my Department and the Ministry of Defence is maintained by the maritime rescue co-ordination centres of Her Majesty's coastguard at Falmouth and Swansea and the joint RAF-Royal Navy maritime HQ at Plymouth. Her Majesty's coastguard had neither knowledge of, nor involvement in, any exercises in the Bristol channel area on 22 February 1991.
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Channel Tunnel
19. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about discussions with British Rail about a channel tunnel freight terminal in Greater Manchester.
Mr. Freeman : The location of channel tunnel freight terminals is a commercial matter for British Rail. I understand that it expects to decide later this year between two possible sites to serve Greater Manchester for the start of tunnel operations.
Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the report of the consultants W. S. Atkins on the evaluation of channel tunnel rail link options ; and if he will place a copy in the Library.
Mr. Freeman : W. S. Atkins published on 4 March its interim report to British Rail proposing the detailed methodology for British Rail's comparison of the options for the rail link. I have placed a copy in the Library.
28. Mr. Rowe : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive details of the British Rail proposals for the route of the high-speed rail link to the channel tunnel.
Mr. Freeman : In April or May.
Auxiliary Coastguard Service
20. Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the review of the auxiliary coastguard service.
Mr. McLoughlin : As intended, the review has attracted numerous representations, mostly addressed to the coastguard regional controllers.
Network SouthEast
22. Mr. Jacques Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on Network SouthEast's achievements against its performance objectives in this year.
Mr. Freeman : There are parts of NSE where quality of service is not yet up to the standard passengers have a right to expect, although there has been a general improvement
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during 1990-91. As NSE's investment programme comes to fruition, quality of service on all routes should show further improvements.Traffic Speed, London
23. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated current speed of traffic in London ; what are his future projections ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Speeds vary between areas, from around 11 mph in central London--with little variation through the working day--to 17 mph and 20 mph in the peak and off-peak in outer London. These figures indicate that average speeds on London's major roads are about 16 mph in the peak periods and 19 mph during the rest of the day. We do not produce forecasts of overall traffic speeds.
Rural Railways
24. Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to review rural railway investment.
Mr. McLoughlin : No. It is for the British Railways Board to carry out any such review.
Road Construction
25. Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road schemes are under construction in the current financial year.
Mr. Chope : In the current financial year 107 schemes have been or will be under construction. The total length is some 337 miles with a value of over £1.5 billion.
Toll Roads
26. Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his policy towards the inclusion of privately toll -funded stretches within the national roads programme.
Mr. Freeman : We are confident that the private sector has a worth while and increasing part to play in the provision of new roads infrastructure in the United Kingdom.
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