HC Deb 08 July 1953 vol 517 cc1250-2
The Minister of Transport (Mr. Alan Lennox-Boyd)

With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I should like to make a statement about the Committee of Inquiry into London Transport.

On 28th April I announced in the House that the Government had decided that an inquiry would be held into London Transport and that a Committee would be appointed for this purpose. I am now able to announce the names of the members of this Committee— Mr. S. P. Chambers, a Deputy Chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, and formerly a Commissioner of Inland Revenue, has kindly consented to be Chairman and the following to be Members:— Mr. D. E. Bell, O.B.E., A.M.I.E.E., M.Inst.T., formerly General Manager of the Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Company. Miss Betty Corn, A.C.I.S., D.P.A., a member of the staff of Holborn Borough Council. Mr. P. T. Heady, formerly General Secretary of the Railway Clerks Association. Sir Frederick Leggett, K.B.E., C.B., formerly a Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and National Service. Mr. Victor Mishcon, Chairman of the General Purposes Committee of the L.C.C. Mr. T. B. Robson, M.B.E., M.A., F.C.A., immediate past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Senior Partner of Price Waterhouse & Company. Mr. George Schwartz, Deputy City Editor of the "Sunday Times.

Mr. H. Morrison

Assuming that the right hon. Gentleman has got to go on with this curious inquiry, which has been invented to conciliate his back benchers on a matter which is a different matter and not related to it, may I ask him to give some further elaboration about these appointments? What is the idea of the deputy chairman of a private monopoly being appointed to inquire into a public monopoly? Is the idea that the deputy chairman of a private monopoly is liable to be impartial and to have a fellow feeling in looking into a public monopoly?

May I ask why it is that the manager of a private enterprise, capitalist, undertaking should be a member? Would the Minister be so good as to tell us, as I notice Miss Betty Corn is a member of the staff of Holborn Borough Council, what her rank in the service of the council is? May I ask why the right hon. Gentleman should have included on this Committee a journalist of a particularly Conservative, Kemsley type, who has strong views and prejudices about this matter? Why has he picked him out to serve on this Committee?

In short, does not the right hon. Gentleman think he has really selected a Committee which, in the respects to which I have drawn attention, is not particularly appropriate for this investigation?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

With the leave of the House, I will answer those four questions which the right hon. Gentleman has addressed to me. In regard to Mr. Chambers, the proposed Chairman, may I say that many other people, now chairmen of nationalised industries, have in their time made many inquiries into private organisations, but Mr. Chambers has a wide record for both public and private service. He is now a Deputy Chairman of I.C.I., but he was Income Tax Adviser to the Government of India, Assistant Secretary to the Board of Inland Revenue, Secretary of the Board, a Commissioner of Inland Revenue and Chief of the Finance Division of the Control Commission for Germany. I should have thought that, taken together, those were pretty formidable qualifications.

As to Mr. Bell, he is not now the manager of any company. He has retired, but the British Transport Commission have a 50 per cent. holding in the company of which he was manager. As to the lady working for Holborn Borough Council, she is a committee clerk and one of the ordinary travelling public, who have their own ideas on this matter. Finally, I included Mr. George Schwartz in the hope that the Report, which I know will be valuable, will also be very readable.

Captain Ryder

Whilst thanking my right hon. Friend for the appointments, which will be warmly welcomed, may I ask, with particular reference to the remarks of the right hon. Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. H. Morrison) to the effect that this inquiry only came about as a result of representations from back benchers, is it not a fact that it was also pressed for repeatedly by London County Council?

Mr. Ernest Davies

Would it not have been better if these gentlemen had a knowledge of transport rather than a knowledge of journalism? Will the Minister give an undertaking that he will immediately draw the attention of the Chairman to the desirability of excluding deliberations on matters appertaining to wages, working conditions and labour relations, particularly in view of the composition of the Committee?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

We have had quite a few Questions on that and I gave a full answer on 4th May.

Mr. Davies

Will the Minister repeat that assurance?

Mr. A. J. Irvine

As the Minister is bent on making a farce of this, will he explain why he has not nominated the Editor of "Punch"?