Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 17 June 1964.
Mr Colin Thornton-Kemsley
, North Angus and Mearns
12:00,
17 June 1964
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when it is expected that the main new trunk and motorway system planned for central Scotland will be completed.
Mr Michael Noble
, Argyll
Subject to the provision by Parliament of the necessary funds, I expect the trunk road and motorway proposals outlined in the Central Scotland white paper to be substantially completed within 10 years.
Mr Colin Thornton-Kemsley
, North Angus and Mearns
Can my right hon. Friend tell the House what the plan amounts to in miles of road?
Mr Michael Noble
, Argyll
Seventy-nine miles of motorway and 206 miles of trunk road. Of these, 14 miles of motorway and 116 miles of trunk road, including one or two pre-war sections, are completed or in hand.
Mr Thomas Steele
, Dunbartonshire West
Is this an "Irish" 10 years, because nine years ago I received a letter from the Secretary of State for Scotland indicating that there would be a dual carriageway from Uddingston to the English Border in 10 years' time? The most difficult parts of this road have not yet been completed, and there is only one year to go.
Mr Michael Noble
, Argyll
I think that the whole House is aware of the extreme difficulty of forecasting with accuracy what will happen in 10 years' time. The House will have noticed that I said,
Subject to the provision by Parliament of the necessary funds …
We do not know which party will be in power in the next Parliament, and we do not know whether the funds will be available.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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
