asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many traffic counts have been taken by his Department along the line of the proposed A5111 Allestree link road and on the A6 Duffield road since 1st December 1974.

Automatic traffic counters have been recording traffic at points on Kingsway and Duffield Road during the period in question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what fresh cost-benefit analyses of the proposed Allestree link road have been prepared by his Department, on receipt of fresh evidence from the LETRAC Group and the Derby Borough Council;(2) when he expects to reach a conclusion on new evidence submitted to him concerning the proposed Allestree link road.

I wrote to my hon. Friend on 20th February informing him that it is intended to withdraw the original orders for the Derby-Allestree link road and to republish new statutory proposals. In these circumstances I have taken no view on the evidence submitted by LETRAC and Derby Borough Council which can be put forward at a public inquiry in due course.