asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the great increase in the user of main unclassified roads repairable by district councils; will he extend the principle of contributions hitherto limited to classified roads only; and will he advise grants being made out of the Road Fund towards the improvement and maintenance of these unclassified roads and thus ease the burden of local authorities in this respect?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 16th July to the hon. Member for the Abertillery Division (Mr. Barker), of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, seeing the great change which has taken place in vehicular traffic in recent years and the increasing extent to which roads are used by persons living outside the local authority responsible for their maintenance, he will consider briging in legislation to make it a national charge, and that any contribution which the local authority would be called upon to make should be on the basis of their assessable value; and whether he has received communications to this effect from county councils and other local authorities?

A few local authorities have sent me communications advocating that highway maintenance should be made primarily a national charge. I cannot hold out any hope, however, that the Government will promote legislation to effect this change.