To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on roads in England of the recent severe weather conditions; and what discussions his Department has had with (a) the Highways Agency and (b) local highway authorities on filling potholes and repairing carriageways.

The maintenance of local roads in England is a matter for each local highway authority. It is for each individual authority to assess which parts of its network are in need of repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge.

This Department endorses Well Maintained Highways, the code of practice for highway maintenance published by the UK Roads Liaison Group (UKRLG). The code of practice is available free on the UKRLG website:

www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org

The code advises local authorities to establish an inspection regime for their highways, and recommends inspection intervals for the various categories of highways.

The Local Government Association have written to the Department requesting that funding be provided to local authorities to repair damage that they consider was caused by the 2009-10 winter. 13 authorities have also formally raised this issue. The Department is considering this matter.

The Highways Agency is responsible for the maintenance of the strategic road network in England. The Agency has a road maintenance programme to ensure that carriageway maintenance is carried out at the optimum time, to minimise deterioration in the condition of the road and damage caused by severe weather, while delivering value for money.

It is inevitable however that the recent severe weather will, in a small number of locations, cause a deterioration in the road surface condition. The Highways Agency does not however separately identify or estimate the additional maintenance costs directly associated with severe weather. The Agency's experience is that such costs are likely to reflect only a relatively minor part of the overall maintenance expenditure. Safety related defects such as potholes are treated promptly as part of the Agency's maintenance policy.

The Department, the Highways Agency and local authorities together with the Devolved Administrations, through the UKRLG, consider the need for research, and development of guidance and policy on all aspects of road maintenance. The Highways Agency and local authorities also meet with material suppliers to identify the need for new materials and the evaluation and performance of existing pavement materials, including those used for repairs.