§ 25. Mr. BARCLAY-HARVEYasked the Minister of Transport if he is yet in a position to say when a decision is likely to be arrived at regarding the removal of Charing Cross Station to the south side of the river and the building of a new road bridge to replace the existing railway bridge?
§ Colonel ASHLEYAt the present time I am not in a position to add anything to the answer which I gave to a similar question by the hon. Member for North Tottenham (Mr. R. Morrison) on the 22nd January last, a copy of which I am forwarding to my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. HARRISIs the right hon. and gallant Gentleman doing anything to expedite this scheme, or have we got to wait till there is a change of Government for something to be done?
§ Colonel ASHLEYI should say that, if there were a change of Government, which is most unlikely, that Government would find this scheme in a very advanced stage.
§ Mr. HARRISWhy cannot the right hon. and gallant Gentleman make a statement to the House, and let us know what the advanced stage is?
§ Colonel ASHLEYThe hon. Member must know that, when negotiations are going on between parties, you cannot make the information public.
§ Mr. BARCLAY-HARVEYIs not the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Chairman of the Southern Railway Company said, at the general meeting of the company, that the matter was now entirely in the hands of the Government?
§ Colonel ASHLEYI have not observed the statement quoted by my hon. Friend, but the matter cannot be entirely in the hands of the Government when two other parties are negotiating.