Oral Answers to Questions — Roads – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 12 February 1964.
Mr Robert Woof
, Blaydon
12:00,
12 February 1964
asked the Minister of Transport when he expects work to commence on the western bypass through Gateshead County Borough and Whickham urban district linking up with the new Scotswood Bridge.
Hon. Thomas Galbraith
, Glasgow Hillhead
A scheme to provide a better link between the A.1, the Team Valley Trading Estate and Scotswood Bridge is included in the special additional roads programme for the North East announced in the Government's white paper last November.
Our divisional road engineer is discussing with the Durham County Council the programming of this scheme. A good deal of survey and design work has to be done. Land will have to be acquired. But all concerned will press on with this as quickly as possible and we hope that work can start within four or five years.
Mr Robert Woof
, Blaydon
Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the best available assessment for this project is that it is likely to cost £4 million and will provide bady needed employment in that area? Does not he agree that it is urgent to develop this road programme in order to enable the authorities to raise the standard of urban environment and traffic planning? Does not he also agree that such effective development is also urgent to give inducement to new industrial and commercial interests and for achieving better access to industrial sites, particularly in the Blaydon area? Will he undertake to bring this programme forward to a much earlier date?
Hon. Thomas Galbraith
, Glasgow Hillhead
I do not think that I disagree with practically anything the hon. Gentleman has said, but while I am fully sympathetic with his point of view, I regret that we cannot bring this forward any faster than we are doing.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
