HC Deb 24 May 1939 vol 347 cc2286-8
38. Sir F. Sanderson

asked the Minister of Transport whether he approves in principle of the Transport Advisory Council's Report; and, if so, whether he will take immediate steps for the preparation of the statutory scheme to carry it out?

40. Lieut.-Commander Fletcher

asked the Minister of Transport what action he proposes to take on the report of the Transport Advisory Council on the railways application?

Captain Wallace

The Government have decided to accept in principle the recommendations of the Transport Advisory Council in their report on the proposals of the main line railways; and I should like to pay tribute to the work of Sir Arthur Griffith Boscawen and his colleagues. The specific changes in the law which may be involved require careful consideration, but it is intended to introduce appropriate legislation as soon as possible next Session.

42. Mr. Ridley

asked the Minister of Transport on what date the recent report of the Transport Advisory Council was first made publicly available; and how the main line companies were enabled to publish a résumé of the report before the report itself was available for Members of this House?

Captain Wallace

The report was made available to the public early on Friday morning, 19th May, and the hon. Member will appreciate that, though published by the Stationery Office, it is not a Parliamentary Paper. Copies of the report in the form in which it was agreed by the council have naturally been in the possession of all members of the council since the day it was signed. I understand that the railway companies' representatives on the council prepared a resume for the purpose of forestalling the numerous inquiries they anticipated, and they arranged to release that resume at the same time as the report itself was made available to the public.

Mr. Ridley

Having regard to the considerable number of questions which have been asked in this House as evidence of the interest and anxiety of Members of the House about the terms of the report, would it not have been better had that report been made available to the House before it was available to interested parties outside the House?

Captain Wallace

This is a matter on which a question was answered by my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, in another connection. This report is not a Parliamentary paper, and hon Members have to go through the procedure of applying to the Vote Office or the Stationery Office for it. I regret very much if any hon. Member thinks that the House has been treated with discourtesy, but, frankly, I do not think that any harm has been done.

Mr. Maclean

On a point of Order. Is it not the case that a number of these reports were formerly issued as Parliamentary papers but that the right of Members of this House to get them in the Vote Office was taken away during the "Geddes Axe" period of economy, and do you not think, Mr. Speaker, it is high time that these State papers were laid before the House and treated as Parliamentary papers one again?

Mr. Speaker

That is hardly a point of Order. It was decided a long time ago, and I should want to consider it very carefully before I made any alteration in the present practice.

Mr. Maclean

We were told at the time that, in order to save expense, these papers would not be issued to Members who did not, it was thought, take any particular interest in them, and that we must apply to the Stationery Office for them if we wanted them. They were, therefore, still treated as Parliamentary papers, but it was decided that application would have to be made for them. Consequently, are not Members of this House entitled to receive copies of these papers, before they are issued to the general public?

Mr. Speaker

I would have to consider that point very carefully before I gave an answer.

Mr. Watkins

Although, as the Minister says, this report was not a Parliamentary paper, yet it was a report to the Minister of Transport, and in those circumstances would it not have been better that Members of this House should have had priority in seeing the terms of that report?

Captain Wallace

As I have said, I am very sorry if any right hon. or hon. Gentleman finds himself in any way aggrieved, but it never occurred to me to issue the report otherwise than as it has been issued.

Lieut.-Commander Fletcher

Did the railway companies communicate with the right hon. Gentleman's Department stating that it was their intention to publish a resume of the report?

Captain Wallace

I am afraid I could not answer that question without notice.