§ 49. Mr. Sparksasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the result of the first offer for sale of transport units by the Road Haulage Disposal Board.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe final figures for the first two lists are 432 units sold, representing 1,286 vehicles.
§ Mr. SparksIn view of the complete failure to find sufficient customers to make offers for these vehicles at anything near their market value, will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance to the House that the vehicles which are now left over will not be given away?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydMany of the premises are inactive, or have been inactive, and it will be necessary for the vehicles and the premises to be offered separately. I sympathise with hon. Gentlemen opposite in their dilemma: whether to attack me for selling the vehicles too slowly or for selling them too fast, without regard to their price.
§ Mr. CallaghanIs it the case that the Minister is now making himself responsible for the sale—
§ Mr. Lennox-Boydindicated dissent.
§ Mr. CallaghanIn that case why did he say that? May I ask him whether the sale of these units by the British Transport Commission—not, of course, by himself—is living up to his expectations?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI think we had better wait and see how we get along. I cannot do better than accept the view of the hon. Member for Enfield, East (Mr. Ernest Davies) that I have no status in the matter unless a dispute arises.
§ Mr. Ernest DaviesIn that case, will the Minister give an undertaking that he will not listen to the representations made by the Road Haulage Association that he should accept the highest bid, even when only two or three tenders are put in?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe hon. Gentleman, who has already twice or three times postponed a Question on that point, may be luckier today.
§ Mr. NabarroIs my right hon. Friend aware that the sums received to date reflect very adequately the arrangements made as between a willing buyer and a willing seller—[HON. MEMBERS: "NO."]—and surely that is the essence of the contract?
§ Mr. DaviesSince when was the Commission a willing seller of the road haulage undertaking?
§ Mr. CallaghanMay I ask the Minister on what he bases his estimate that 10,000 of these vehicles will have been sold by the end of April?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydOn every expectation—when I gave out my estimated programme, and I stick to the view—that we shall make rapid progress in this matter without great loss to the nation or an undue disturbance of the national transport system.