§ 31. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that the British Transport Commission (Railway Merchandise) Charges Scheme, 1957, made under the authority of the Transport Act, 1953, operates harshly on trade and industry in north-east Scotland; if he will arrange for it to be further considered, in order to devise a means of spreading its effects more evenly and and fairly over the whole of Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MarplesSubject to the maximum charges fixed by the Scheme the Commission have an unfettered discretion as to the actual charges made to consignors. It is the Government's intention, as stated in paragraph 56 of the recent White Paper, that the railways should be freed from statutory control over their charges, except for fares in the London Passenger Transport Area. In these circumstances, no useful purpose would be served by a review of the present charges scheme.
§ Mr. HughesDoes the Minister realise that he is not addressing himself to the real point of the Question? Is it not part of the pernicious policy of the Government deliberately to break down co-ordination between the various types of transport and is not this causing confusion and expense and jeopardising British trade and industry in their competition with foreigners?
§ Mr. MarplesI answered the Question. The word "co-ordination" does not appear in the original Question. As for Aberdeen, this scheme is framed so that the rate per ton mile decreases as distance increases.