§ 62. Mr. Mathersasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether the members of the Railway Executive Committee while holding office are entirely separated from their normal railway responsibilities and receive no payment from that source while they accept directions only from his Ministry?
§ Colonel LlewellinThe chairman of the Railway Executive Committee, who is also the Controller of Railways in the Ministry of War Transport, has no other railway responsibilities and is unpaid. The other members continue to be responsible under the direction of the Minister through the Railway Executive Committee for the management of their respective undertakings. Their salaries are borne as expenses chargeable to the Railway Control Pool Account.
§ Mr. MathersAn answer given last week or the week before regarding salaries was that no salaries were paid to these gentlemen. Do I now understand that for acting as they do salaries arc now paid from Government funds?
§ Colonel LlewellinThese gentlemen, except the chairman, are paid salaries which are part of the running cost of the railway companies and come out of the general pool account. If revenue falls short of expenses, the Government make up the difference, and if the revenue is higher than expenses, the Government take the whole profit.
§ Mr. MathersIn the light of what the Parliamentary Secretary has said about the payment of these gentlemen, would it not be as well to extend this committee to include other representatives, in order that the public interest may be served, instead of there being a purely railway interest?
§ Colonel LlewellinNo, Sir, I think not. The general policy on which the railways are run is a matter for my Noble Friend and, to a lesser degree, myself. The Railway Executive Committee is concerned with actual operation for which people well used to running railways are far better fitted than anybody else.