§ 16. Captain Pilkingtonasked the Minister of Transport whether he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission to revise railway timetables so that the scheduled time of train arrival shall conform more frequently with the actual time of arrival.
§ Mr. MarplesNo, Sir. This is a matter of management for which the British Transport Commission is responsible.
§ Captain PilkingtonIs my right hon. Friend aware that the present deplorable unpunctuality on many of our railways gives them a very bad name in this country and, perhaps more important, gives this country a very bad name among overseas visitors?
§ Mr. MarplesSome unpunctuality is caused by the modernisation programme which is bringing great difficulties to the railways. If my hon. and gallant Friend has any case in mind, perhaps he would write direct to the chairman of the British Transport Commission or write to me, but all I can do is to forward his letter to the chairman.