HC Deb 22 January 1964 vol 687 cc1068-71
19. Mr. Manuel

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the additional road improvement expenditure which will be necessary if Dr. Beeching's rail closure proposals are adopted.

Mr. G. Campbell

I cannot give an aggregate figure. But as regards the 14 passenger service withdrawal proposals, on which the Scottish Transport Users' Consultative Committee has so far reported to my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Transport, the additional roads expenditure that would be needed, if these were implemented, is negligible.

Mr. Manuel

This is a shocking reply. Is the hon. Member aware that I am not requesting information about those which have been dealt with—the negligible ones, the 14 he mentioned—but the whole proposals? Surely he is aware that there ought to be some blueprint for Scotland emanating from the Beeching Report? What is the expenditure which will be necessary before more traffic is thrown on to the roads, causing more deaths and injuries?

Mr. Campbell

As I suspect the hon. Member knows, the cases are being dealt with one by one and not as a single exercise. The cost of the consequential road improvement is assessed in respect of each case which goes to the Minister of Transport for decision following a report of the consultative committee. There would be no useful purpose at this time in trying to assess an aggregate figure.

22. Mr. Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what reply he has sent to organisations protesting to him about the British Railways proposals to close the lines north and west of Inverness.

23. Mr. Millan

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has now received regarding the pro posed closure of the Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh and Inverness-Thurso railway lines; and what replies he has sent.

The Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. J. A. Stodart)

My right hon. Friend has received a considerable number of representations and in reply has referred to the statutory procedure under Section 56 of the Transport Act for dealing with rail closure proposals and to the consultations which will take place between the Minister of Transport and himself before any decisions are reached. He has also said that he is seeking advice from the Highland Transport Board.

Mr. Ross

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that his reply is most disappointing but no: surprising? Is he aware that a member of the Transport Users' Consultative Committee, Mr. J. R. C. Ballantyne of Sutherland, in a letter to the Ross-shire Journal has stated that the Government, although they made no public announcement, had indicated privately before the proposed closures were announced that they had no intention of putting them into effect north and west of Inverness? Is he aware that we on this side consider that this public inertia of the Secretary of State on a matter of such importance cannot be counter-balanced by this news management in private? What has the hon. Gentleman to say about the position?

Mr. Stodart

My first comment is that it distresses me but does not surprise me that the hon. Gentleman should think this is a disappointing reply. I express my surprise that he with all his experience should believe everything that he reads in the newspapers, even in the Ross-shire Journal.

Mr. Millan

Is the Under-Secretary aware that he cannot just brush aside the allegation as simply as that? It is widely felt in the North that these private assurances had been given and that there is a great deal of politics involved in this. Cannot we get the matter cleared up? Are these lines to be closed or not? If a decision has been taken by the Secretary of State that they shall not be closed, why cannot he say that in public instead of allowing this farce of meetings of the T.U.C.C. to be gone through? Is not the whole position extremely confusing and unsatisfactory?

Mr. Stodart

I must tell the hon. Gentleman that, so far as I and my right hon. Friend are aware, there is no substance in any of the private assurances which the hon. Gentleman says have been given. I referred in my reply to the statutory procedure which must be gone through. This must be persisted with.

Mr. Clark Hutchison

Can my hon. Friend arrange for these hearings to be brought forward to a very early date because of the uncertainty—also the hearing in connection with the Stranraer-Edinburgh-Hawick line?

Mr. Stodart

My hon. Friend has raised a slightly different point in the last part of his supplementary question. The closing date for objections with regard to the Highland lines was two days ago. The hearings have been fixed for the 9th and 10th March, which is a good deal earlier than usual.