Undergraduate education

I have been asked to deliver the address which the Transport Minister, Mr Steven Norris, was himself hoping to give today.

The Royal Fine Art Commission's seminar on bridge design was triggered by its disappointment in the appearance of two bridges: the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartford and the Department of Transport's design for the East London River Crossing. The seminar arrived at the consensus that more could be done to encourage the good design of bridges and other highway structures. This was of interest to the Government as a client, as well as to engineers and the public. The suggestions which came from that seminar included more encouragement from clients for good design, stating the need for good design in the brief, publishing specific advice on appearance, holding design competitions and better education for engineers. Ministers attended both the original seminar and the launch of the report which followed. On both occasions, they supported the call for good design and supported each of the specific suggestions.