HC Deb 10 August 1966 vol 733 cc1683-5
30. Mr. Manuel

asked the Minister of Transport to what size the railway system would have been reduced under the Beeching proposals; and what is her estimate of the national railway network to be kept under the White Paper on Transport Policy.

Mrs. Castle

About 8,000 route miles.

The eventual size of the network discussed in the White Paper will depend, first on the current discussions with the regional economic planning councils, and secondly on the outcome of the normal procedure for examining closure proposals but it will be substantially larger than this.

Mr. Manuel

Is my right hon. Friend aware that we very much welcome the steps she has taken to check the Beeching policy? With the basic network which will be left, will she recognise the social needs of rural areas and will she have consultations about the basic network with the respective railway trade unions?

Mrs. Castle

We are taking into account the social needs not only of rural, but of built-up areas. I have kept in the closest touch with the railway unions on the development of my railway policy and I shall continue to do so.

Mr. Doughty

Can the right hon. Lady say what will be the extra cost to the taxpayer of keeping many of these lines most of which are uneconomic?

Mrs. Castle

I hope that, taken as a whole, my railway policy will lead to a substantial reduction in the cost to the Exchequer and the taxpayer compared with the present situation and the situation under the previous Government in which the railway deficit has gone up and up, because no sensible decision was ever taken to identify the social elements and therefore to give British Railways a realistic operating target. I want to identify the social needs, put them in a separate account and then I can give a real efficiency target to British Railways.

Mr. Peter Walker

Will the right hon. Lady say what conclusions she has come to? As she does not have any idea at the moment of the mileage which is to be kept open, how can she say that she hopes that she will reduce the cost to the taxpayer? If the cost to the taxpayer is reduced, how much does she intend to put on to the ratepayer?

Mrs. Castle

The hon. Gentleman must not show his ignorance of transport legislation. Under his own party's Act, I have a statutory obligation not to declare arbitrarily in advance how many railway lines should be closed. I have to go through a certain statutory procedure of consultation on hardship grounds. Therefore, for that reason alone it would be impossible to give a final figure of the ultimate network, because I do not intend to bypass that democratic procedure. In addition, of course, it is an integral part of the Government's economic planning policy that the regional economic planning councils should be given a chance to state what are the development needs, present and future, of their areas and the effect on the railway network. I repeat that the overall effect of this policy will be financially much more successful than that of right hon. Gentlemen opposite.

Mr. Speaker

Order. Even on transport we must have short questions and short answers.