asked the Secretary of State for Transport, following the advice distributed to local authorities on pre-scheme safety checking in his Department's new manual "Accident Investigation and Prevention", what arrangements he is making with agent authorities for such checks on roads for which his Department has responsibility, particularly with those authorities who have no systematic accident investigation programmes.

The Department's new accident investigation manual was published in December 1986. Copies have been sent to all local highway authorities. We pay full regard to the provisions of the manual in drawing up detailed plans with our agent authorities on safety and improvement schemes to be carried out in the Department's small schemes programme.