HC Deb 23 December 1964 vol 704 cc1215-7
23 and 24. Mr. Geoffrey Wilson

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what advice he has received from the Nationalised Transport Advisory Council set up by Section 55 of the Transport Act, 1962, for the purpose of advising him on questions relating to the co-ordination of nationalised transport undertakings; and if he will make a statement;

(2) what chairman, vice-chairman, or other members he has appointed to the Nationalised Transport Advisory Council under Section 55(2)(a) of the Transport Act, 1962.

61. Mr. Gresham Cooke

asked the Minister of Transport if he has now decided who is to be chairman of the Nationalised Transport Advisory Council.

Mr. Tom Fraser

I have not as yet sought the advice of the Nationalised Transport Advisory Council. As I told the hon. Member for Twickenham (Mr. Gresham Cooke) on 16th December, I will make a statement about its future as soon as I am ready to do so.

Mr. Wilson

Does not the right hon. Gentleman recollect that, when his party was in opposition, it frequently complained that the Conservative Government were not co-ordinating nationalised transport policies? Is it not, therefore, astonishing, if that view was correct, that the new Government have done nothing about making use of the provision of the Act which has been in existence since 1962 and which could have been operated at any time?

Mr. Fraser

When we were in opposition we frequently criticised the Conservative Government for their lack of interest in bringing about transport co-ordination generally. It is true that the right hon. Member for Wallasey (Mr. Marples) had his Advisory Council under the Act, but it met only four times under his chairmanship. I am now getting down to the job of making a plan for transport co-ordination generally, which will obviously take me outside the scope of the present Advisory Council. However, I will, as I find it necessary so to do, call meetings of the Council.

Mr. Gresham Cooke

Will the right hon. Gentleman recall that I have been good enough to put down four Questions to him in four weeks about who the new chairman of this very important body is to be? Is he further aware that, on each occasion, he has given a dusty answer? We are rather bewildered by all these rumours that Dr. Beeching is to be the new chairman and we do not know whether or not they are true. Does the right hon. Gentleman mean to say that, since our dynamic new Government came to power, this very important body in nationalised transport has not been called together to advise the Minister?

Mr. Speaker

Order. This seems a little eloquent by way of a supplementary question. Perhaps the hon. Member for Twickenham (Mr. Gresham Cooke) will bring it to an end.

Mr. Fraser

I am sorry that the hon. Member should be so confused about the future of the Advisory Council and about who will be its chairman. I have no immediate intention of changing the identity of the Chairman of the Council, who is myself. I have, incidentally, on a number of occasions in the past two months met the chairmen of all the nationalised transport undertakings.

Mr. Powell

On all these matters, is the right hon. Gentleman still waiting for Beeching? When are we to have an end to the pantomime of disclosures and semi-disclosures dropped through the Press week after week without a statement to this House?

Mr. Fraser

There has been much speculation in the Press in the last few weeks and a lot of it has been embarrassing to me. I do not know whether that speculation is based on disclosures or semi-disclosures. I shall do my best, subject to your permission, Mr. Speaker, to put an end to speculation by making a statement at the end of Question Time.