§ The provisions of this Act shall not come into operation until the Minister of Transport shall have issued a certificate to the effect—
- (a) that he is satisfied that the Company has released its agents from any agreements, whether oral or in writing, which prevent such agents from providing booking facilities for persons desiring to travel by any lawful air service in Great Britain, whether or not such service is in competition with another air service in which the said Company is financially interested; and
- (b) that he has received a written assurance from the Company that they will not, during the next ten years, procure the giving by any agent (whether for a consideration or not and whether orally or in writing) of any such undertaking as would, if it were legally binding on the said agent, impose upon him an obligation only to book passengers for certain specified air services.—[Colonel Ropner.]
§ Brought up, and read the First time.
§ 7.31 p.m.
§ Colonel RopnerI beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."
The object of the new Clause is to give some Minister power to insist that the railway companies, in this case the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, shall relax the conditions which they have imposed on agencies in the case of air line companies.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. and gallant Member is moving the second of the two Clauses standing in his name?
§ Colonel RopnerYes, Sir, I am moving the Second of the new Clauses. The present position with regard to the agencies is this. An important part of their ordinary business is the sale of railway tickets. The London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, together with other railway companies, has informed the agencies that if they sell to the public tickets for air travel over the internal air lines, or even for foreign destinations, the railway companies will withdraw from the agencies the privilege of disposing of railway tickets. It must be obvious to hon. Members that that gives the railway companies very great power over the agencies, because for every man or 269 woman who travels by the internal air routes tens or scores of thousands travel by rail. The position now is that no agency dares to ignore the ban with regard to booking facilities for air transport. I would ask the House clearly to understand the position. The ban on the agencies from granting booking facilities and upon the air lines from obtaining this form of assistance in carrying out their business, is of universal application. It is true that in the case of some air lines special concessions have been made——
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member must refer to the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company and not to all the railways, otherwise he will not be in order.
§ Colonel RopnerIf I have committed the error of referring to the railway companies in general, all I can say is that everything I say of the railway companies in general applies to the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company also.
§ Mr. SpeakerIt is not in order for the hon. and gallant Member to refer in general to railway companies. He must deal with the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company.
§ Colonel RopnerThen I will deal with the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company.
§ Mr. SpeakerWith that one railway company only.
§ Colonel RopnerNot with the other railway companies?
§ Mr. SpeakerNot with the other companies.
§ Colonel RopnerThe point with which I wish to deal refers exclusively to the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company. In the instances that I intended to give, I was about to say that a special concession has been made by the London Midland and Scottish Company in respect of Allied Airways, a concession for which we are grateful, which was announced in the "Times" this morning. If I were tempted to inaugurate an air line in that part of the country which is served by the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company I should find that every agency would be closed against me. I understand that the hon. Member for Stockton-on-Tees (Mr. H. 270 Macmillan) may reply for the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, and I should like to ask him this specific and definite question. If any member of the general public were to endeavour to run an air line in competition with the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, what facilities for booking tickets would be granted by that railway company? Would they, in other words, abuse their power, or would they give a free hand to the air company?
The development of air travel is sufficiently difficult in this country already, and it appears to me iniquitous that the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company should inflict this additional handicap. I have not the slightest doubt that it is a deliberate attempt by this railway company to stifle altogether the competition of air travel, and if this is not possible, then to gain control of whatever air lines survive their hostile action. I think it was the right hon. Member for Limehouse (Mr. Attlee) who reminded us only a few days ago that this railway company had ruined canal transport in their area, and I think he mentioned that they had been caught napping by the development of road transport. In the case of the air, although they cannot prevent flying altogether, I feel certain that they are endeavouring to control flying from the beginning.
I do not want to take up too much time, but I should like to ask a question. Here again, it is the London Midland and Scottish Company that is concerned. When will the ban be lifted on the service to Ireland? This line is maintained on a pooling basis by an English and an Irish company. The Irish company is owned, I understand, by the Government of Eire. Over there, even the railway companies themselves are prepared to sell tickets for air travel, but in this country you cannot buy through any agency a ticket to fly to Ireland. This is, I believe, the case which was referred to in the Cadman Report, and it is by no means the only case, as was stated in that document. There are air lines running between Shoreham and Ryde, between London and Deauville, between London and Le Touquet, between Penzance and the Scilly Isles——
§ Mr. SpeakerAre all those under the. London Midland and Scottish Railway Company?
§ Colonel RopnerIf the House will bear with me one moment longer I shall try to indicate the connection between these air lines and the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, although I know that they are actually on the South Coast. There is a very real connection, which I shall point out. There are also air line connections between Shoreham and the Isle of Wight, and between Bristol and Cardiff. The competing companies in the case of all these lines are railway air services, and the railway air services if they are not owned wholly are partially owned by the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company.
§ Mr. SpeakerThat argument affects all the railway companies, and not simply one company. I am very doubtful whether the new Clause is in order. It is very doubtful whether the railway company could fulfil the condition laid down in the first part of the new Clause which seeks to impose certain restrictions in contracts. I think it is very doubtful whether such a condition is relevant to the new Clause. I do not think that it 1s. Therefore, I should have to rule that part of the Clause out of order. With regard to the second part, I doubt whether the railway company could fulfil that condition if it were imposed upon them. Therefore, I must rule the Clause out of order.
§ Colonel RopnerAm I to understand that you have ruled the Clause out of order? I have tried very hard to keep within the rules of order, although you did warn me that there would be difficulty in my doing so.
§ Mr. SpeakerI have ruled the Clause out of order.
Bill to be read the Third time.
§ Mr. SpeakerWe are not on the Third Reading of the Bill yet. We have passed the Report stage, and the Bill is ordered to be read the Third time. The Third Reading will be put down for another day.