§ Mr. PEELasked the President of the Hoard of Trade whether His Majesty's Government has taken any steps to give effect to the views put forward by the deputation from the London County Council to the Prime Minister on 24th November, 1908, with regard to the establishment of a Traffic Board for London; in this connection, if he will state what duties are performed by the London Traffic Branch of the Board of Trade; and whether it is the intention of the Government that that branch shall be in substitution for the Traffic Board suggested in Part III. of the Report of the Royal Commission on London Traffic?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of TRADE (Mr. Churchill)Since the deputation referred to waited upon the Prime Minister steps have been taken to strengthen the London Traffic Branch of the Board of Trade. The principal duties of this branch are to study the problem of London traffic continuously in all its branches, to keep the statistics up to date, to report upon all schemes affecting London traffic seeking statutory authority, and to make an annual report on the whole subject for submission to Parliament. The increase lately sanctioned in the staff of this branch will enable it to undertake certain special enquiries recommended by the Royal Commission on London Traffic, particularly with regard to the roads leading out of London. The branch performs many of the duties that would have been assigned to the Traffic Board recommended by the Royal Commission, and to this extent it may be regarded as a substitute for it, at all events, for the present. Should an independent statutory board be constituted by a future Act of Parliament it would find its task materially simplified and facilitated by the work now being carried out by the London Traffic Branch.