§ 38. Mr. Haymanasked the Minister of Transport whether he will give a general direction in the national interest to the Railways Board that no further removal of rail tracks, resulting from closure of branch lines, shall take place before the next General Election.
§ Mr. HayNo, Sir. But if, after the necessary consultations, my right hon. Friend concludes that the retention of the track is desirable in the public interest, he can make this a condition of his agreement to a particular passenger closure proposal.
§ Mr. HaymanWill the hon. Gentleman bear in mind that a conference in Cornwall recently decided to put forward this proposition in respect of Cornish branch lines?
§ Mr. HayYes, Sir. Every case must be looked at on its individual merits. Obviously the Railways Board will not propose to recover the track, pull it up, and dispose of the land if it sees that there is a continued need for freight services along it or that some future development may involve continuation of the railway services generally.
§ Mr. HaymanWill the Parliamentary Secretary and his right hon. Friend bear in mind that there is not very long between now and the General Election and that it would be bad to take an irreversible step in the interval?
§ Mr. HayI should have hoped that there was no great significance in the date of the General Election in the context of this Question.