asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the closure of railways in south-west Durham, what major road developments he proposes in their place; what they are; and when they will be started.

No trunk roads are affected and we have received no proposals for major improvements of any classified roads as a direct result of these closures.

In view of the fact that unemployment has mounted every month this year and jobs stay firmly stuck in the pipeline, does not the hon. Gentleman think that it would be sensible to advance some of the road schemes in this area until the jobs get out of the pipeline? Will he take steps with the county council to see that this happens?

No, I do not see the connection between road improvements and jobs.

If branch lines close and more traffic must go on to the roads, is it not a fair question to ask if the Government have a policy in circumstances of this kind to give special priorities to roads like this which will have to take the traffic which formerly went on the railways? It is as straight as that.

If it were as straight as that it would be comparatively simple, but the plain fact is that these roads are not where the services have been before.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the present position of the proposed Great Barr special road scheme within the borough of Oldbury; and when road operations will begin.

A draft scheme under Section 11 of the Highways Act, 1959, published on 4th March, 1960, showed this road running on viaduct over the railway for about two miles in the Borough of Oldbury. Some seventy objections were received to this part of the scheme. Detailed examination of the line has shown that it would involve substantial demolition of property and cause serious overshadowing. We are therefore investigating, in collaboration with the local authority, an alternative line to the west of the railway which seems less likely to affect homes and property. It is too early to say when road building might begin.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has now considered the recommendations of the consultative committee on the lighting of traffic routes within the London conurbation; and if he will take the initiative in setting up a similar committee for the West Midland conurbation.

In reply to the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave on 24th January to the hon. Member for Islington, East (Mr. Fletcher). As to the second part, it was the lighting authorities who set up the London Committee. We should welcome any similar initiative by the authorities in the West Midland conurbation, or elsewhere, and would be glad to give them any assistance, advice or help that we can.

asked the Minister of Transport what answer he has sent to the National Council of Women's request for his assistance in securing the removal of turnstiles from public conveniences at bus and coach stations.

On 5th February my right hon. Friend told the National Council that he was drawing the attention of the nationalised and private bus operators to the Government's view, as expressed to local authorities by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Local Government, and that he was suggesting that they too should pursue the course we had urged on local authorities.

While thanking the hon. Gentleman's right hon. Friend for the action he has taken in this matter, which the women very much appreciate, may I ask what reply has been received from the bus and coach undertakings? Will the Minister point out to them that it is even more inconvenient to have these turnstiles at transport centres than in ordinary public conveniences and that unless they take steps to fall into line with Government policy someone will have to introduce another Private Member's Bill to compel them to do so.

I am afraid that without notice I could not give the hon. Lady the answers we have had from the various undertakings to whom we addressed this request. We shall certainly bear in mind what she said in the latter part of her supplementary question.

In conversations with the bus companies, will my hon. Friend draw attention to the fact that one of the bus companies at Basingstoke is putting up a new turnstile in this very day and age at a new station?

Shame.

asked the Minister of Transport how many deaths there were on the roads in 1931, 1941, 1951 and 1961; and what were the ratios of deaths to vehicles in the same years.

The number of deaths are as follows: 1931, 6,691; 1941, 9,169; 1951, 5,250; 1961, 6,908.

In view of those very encouraging figures, will my hon. Friend cease harrying motorists and creating further legal penalties against motorists the whole time and adopt a different psychological approach by saying that the motorist is doing very well and try to jolly him along to do better?

My hon. Friend ought not to draw too many conclusions from these figures. I should be delighted if those conclusions could be drawn, but the figures do not necessarily indicate as good a result as might appear on the face of them. I must resist any suggestion that my right hon. Friend or the Department harasses the motorist. We have this acute accident problem in this country with which we have to deal, and all methods open to us must be pursued simultaneously.

Does not the Minister agree that the number of deaths on the roads is still appalling, in spite of the percentage figures which he has given? Does he not agree that the greatest contributoin which he could make to solving the problem is the segregation of traffic and an improvement in the road system? When will the Government get on with a road programme adequate to the needs of the day?

We are quite satisfied with the road programme as it stands at the moment. It is the largest ever known in the history of this country. My right hon. Friend has been pertinacious in pushing traffic measures forward as quickly as he can.

Will my hon. Friend amplify a little his statment that the figures are misleading? Why are they misleading?

I did not say that they were misleading. I said that we ought not to draw too many conclusions from them. The reasons for that is that the comparisons made, for example, make no allowances for the actual distance travelled. The figures do not make adequate allowance for the exposure to risk of all the separate classes of road user involved, and they take no account of the improvement in the medical services since 1931. These are some of the points involved.

To put the picture in its right perspective, is it not correct that while the figure for deaths has remained fairly consistent since 1931, the numbers of seriously injured or injured in a minor way have risen alarmingly since that time? Is not this not one of the most frightful aspects of the tragedy on the roads today?

We have never sought to minimise the road accident problem. All I was saying to my hon. Friend the Member for South Angus (Sir J. Duncan), was that he should not draw too many conclusions from the figures.

Would not a great contribution be made by some measure making more uniform the application of the law? Is it not misleading to motorists and a cause of increased danger that the law is applied and administered differently in almost every area?

Questions on the administration of the law are not for my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking to speed up the completion of the North Ferriby bypass.

The North Ferriby bypass has been open to traffic since August, 1961. The new dual carriageways immediately to the east as far as the Hessle bypass were opened to traffic last Friday. The improvement westwards from North Ferriby bypass to Welton should be completed by the end of this year.

While thanking my hon. Friend for his reply and his confirmation of the completion date, may I ask whether he is aware that after recent fatal accidents on the Ferriby bypass the local coroner had something to say about the great danger to road users of temporary diversions? Will he issue instructions to all local authorities and contractors concerned in constructing new roads to exercise particular care in the marking of obstacles, particularly at night and in fog?

Yes, Sir. I take note of what my hon. Friend said. We have very good contacts with the contractors who carry out these road schemes and there is something of a code which we have established with them. But I will see that this particular case is looked into.