§ Mr. HendryI beg to ask leave to present a petition, bearing to be signed by some 577 residents of the Deeside district of Scotland, which shows that in 1963 the British Railways Board proposed to withdraw the passenger services from the Deeside Railway; that numerous objections were lodged to that proposal on the ground of hardship to the travelling public and the welfare of the district; that, in terms of Statute, the then Minister of Transport caused a public inquiry to be held into the proposal; that the Committee which made the inquiry among other things was divided in its opinion but recommended that more buses be provided as an alternative; that subsequently, as a result of a merger, the number of buses providing the alternative services was reduced from 13 to 6 per day; that, notwithstanding this recommendation, in 1965 the then Minister of Transport—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman must be brief in presenting his Petition.
§ Mr. Hendry—gave his consent in disregard of the recommendation,
Wherefore your petitioners pray that legislation be introduced to enable the Minister of Transport to withdraw the consent given by her predecessor in disregard of the advice of the Transport Users' Consultative Committee to the withdrawal of passenger services on the Deeside Railway; and that powers be granted in due course to a suitable public authority or other corporation to operate the Deeside Railway as a light railway or otherwise.
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc.
§ To lie upon the Table.