§ 2. Sir Patrick Hannonasked the Minister of War Transport whether he contemplates any measure for the relief of the congestion, delay and inconvenience which arise daily in the transport of passengers between Holyhead and Dublin 1657 and between Fishguard and Rosslare, especially the provision of additional boat accommodation on both these routes; and whether more efficient methods of dealing with passports and travel tickets will be introduced at Fishguard and Holyhead.
§ Mr. BarnesAs indicated in my reply to the hon. Members for Londonderry (Sir R. Ross) and Oxford (Mr. Hogg) on 15th October, I hope that before Christmas an additional vessel will be available for the Holyhead—Kingstown service. There are services from Fishguard to Cork and Waterford but no service to Rosslare at present owing to the lack of a suitable ship. I regret that I am not in a position to say when it will be possible to provide a service on that route. The arrangements for dealing with passengers at Holyhead and Fishguard are constantly under review, and the time taken to pass them through the Controls and on to the ship has recently been substantially reduced. Further improvements will be made as and when conditions permit.
§ Sir P. HannonWhen will the right hon. Gentleman be able to tell the House when the improvement he suggests will actually come into operation and, in particular, the improvement in dealing with passports and travel tickets?
§ Mr. BarnesMy hon. Friend is quite aware of the general difficulties on this route and of the improvements that have been made. These improvements will be pressed forward as rapidly as possible.
§ Sir Frank SandersonIs my right hon. Friend aware that the delay in traffic between Holyhead and Dublin is a disgrace to civilisation; and, if he cannot provide the necessary accommodation, will he see to it that tickets are not issued?