asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the extra expenditure that would be required on maintenance and repair to bring trunk and principal roads back to the standard that existed on 1 April 1974.

The Department does not have records of the condition in 1974 either of motorways and trunk roads or of local highway authorities' principal roads to allow the required estimate to be made. Furthermore, the design and repair standards of motorways and trunk roads have materially improved during the last nine years.