Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the backlog of road repairs nationally; and what assessment they have made of the impact such repairs will have on (1) communities, and (2) the economy.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the responsibility for maintaining the highway rests with the respective devolved administrations.

In England, National Highways is responsible for the strategic road network, that is motorways and major A roads. On the local road network local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area.

Whilst the Government does not intervene in local highway maintenance decisions, we are providing over £2.7 billion funding for local highways maintenance for local authorities outside of London and City Region areas over the next three years.

The Department for Transport encourages good practice in local highway maintenance for all local highway authorities and endorses the UK Roads Liaison Group’s Code of Practice on Well Managed Highway Infrastructure.