Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of checks undertaken by local authorities of road bridges.

The Department encourages adoption of an effective, integrated asset management approach to highway infrastructure including bridges through the UKRLG Code of Practice 'Well-managed highway infrastructure'.

There is a duty placed on highway authorities, by Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) to maintain the highways network in their area, including the road bridges that they are responsible for. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess and keep records of which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.