HC Deb 27 October 1952 vol 505 cc1549-50
6. Mr. Lewis

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will arrange to have published, in the form of a White Paper or some other convenient form, the various independent reports for and against the co-ordination of transport, including the 1930 Report of the Royal Commission on Transport, the 1931 Report of the Royal Commission on the Co-ordination and Development of Transport, and the Report of the Conference on Road and Rail Transport in 1932 under the chairmanship of the present Minister of State for Economic Affairs.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

No, Sir. I see no sufficient reason for the Government to re-publish in a collection the reports, papers and books on this subject, all of which have already been published.

Mr. Lewis

Is the Minister aware of the fact that there is no one in this country with any knowledge of transport who has a good word to say about the Government's White Paper and policy, and that if he were to publish all these documents he would see that the Government should drop this stupid plan?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

The hon. Gentleman is, I think, guilty of a rather unfortunate looseness of language. The question of the co-ordination of transport means two things; either general or special. The general co-ordination we are all in favour of, but as to the special form the co-ordination should take, the experts are, as usual, deeply divided.

Mr. Hylton-Foster

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that the Salter Report is out of print? Is he sufficiently optimistic to suppose that if he had it reprinted its content might serve as a check on the statements of hon. Members opposite about it?

Mr. Edward Davies

Are we to take it that the Minister has received no letters of protest about his proposals and that the Transport and General Workers' Union, chambers of commerce and others have made no objection?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

I have received a great many communications of various kinds, some of which are couched in language quite unacceptable to the hon. Gentleman and dealing with the previous Act, the faults of which we are now undoing. What I am concerned about is that in the new Bill which I shall shortly present to the House I shall have taken account of the changes suggested to me, because, in this as in other fields, we do have regard to public opinion.