§ Mr. Holt(by Private Notice) asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what preparations have been made to keep essential services going and mitigate the distress which will be caused to the public in the event of a railway strike starting on Monday.
§ The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. R. A. Butler)If, unhappily, a railway strike should take place Her Majesty's Government have made their plans and will, of course, do everything possible to ensure that supplies and services essential to the life of the community are maintained. It would not be apropriate for me to go into detail at this stage, except to say that announcements are being issued today by the authorities chiefly concerned about the desirability, for example, of "staggering" working hours, and the arrangements for traffic, both in London and elsewhere in the country.
It would also be necessary, before the strike began, to recommend the issue of a Proclamation and to make a number of Regulations, as was done in 1955. I want to emphasise, Sir, that these are steps which any Government in this situation would have to take. But, of course, the Government and, I hope, all concerned will continue to do everything possible to find an acceptable solution.