asked the Secretary of State for Air when he will be able to give a decision with regard to the Benson bypass; and how long this matter has been under consideration between his Department and the Oxfordshire County Council.

It was recently decided that the R.A.F. Station at Benson should be retained, that the by-pass must accordingly remain closed, and that a suitable alternative road should be constructed. Until the future of the station had been settled, no useful consultation with the Oxfordshire County Council could be begun.

The Secretary of State has not answered the last part of the Question—how long have these negotiations been going on? It is something like three years, is it not?

Oh, no, Sir. We could not begin any really useful negotiations until the main decision had been made.

There has been a lot of correspondence between the right hon. Gentleman's predecessors and the Oxfordshire County Council. Why is he trying to mislead the House in this matter?

I am not trying to mislead the House. Of course, there has been correspondence ever since the road was first closed, and my engineer has been in touch with the County Council surveyor. I think it began in 1941. I think that was when the road was first closed. Consultations about the future could not have begun until the future of the station had been decided.