It is hereby declared that the purposes for which advances may be made by the Minister under section 235 of the M1Highways Act 1959 include the carrying out of surveys with a view to ascertaining the need for the construction or improvement of highways (whether or not any such construction or improvement is carried out) and other purposes incidental or conducive to the purposes described in subsection (1) of that section.

The Minister may, for all or any of the following purposes, that is to say, the purposes of the said section 235, so far as it relates to the making of advances to local highway authorities, and the purposes of any enactment or instrument (whether passed or made before or after the passing of this Act) which refers to highways classified by the Minister, classify highways and proposed highways in such manner as he may from time to time determine after consultation with the highway authorities concerned.

For the purposes of subsection (3) of this section any road which, immediately before the commencement of this Part of this Act, was classified under the said section 17 in Class I, II or III shall, until the Minister otherwise directs, be treated as classified under subsection (2) of this section as a classified road for the purpose of every such enactment or instrument as is mentioned in the said subsection (3).