HC Deb 19 April 1967 vol 745 cc555-6
15. Mr. Webster

asked the Minister of Transport what is the composition of the Road Safety Advisory Council.

The Minister of Transport (Mrs. Barbara Castle)

The Chairman of the Council is my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon (Mr. John Morris), and the Vice-Chairman is Sir Alfred Owen. There are 18 other members drawn from all walks of life. With permission, I will circulate the full list in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Webster

Why has the right hon. Lady replaced the distinguished and independent Chairman, Sir Alfred Owen, by the Joint Parliamentary Secretary, and thereby muzzled this body from any form of independence?

Mrs. Castle

This body is not muzzled at all. It is still free to make its views known to me on the subjects with which it is dealing. What we have sought to do in this context—and I am glad to say that Sir Alfred Owen recognises the strength of this argument and has willingly agreed to continue to serve as Vice-Chairman—is to give a professional and scientific direction to the road safety work of the country through the development of my own Department's activities. We will seek the advice of the Council as the advice of laymen whom we want to express a view on our policy.

Mr. Lomas

Will my right hon. Friend give a firm assurance that she will consult the Road Safety Advisory Council when she is formulating her future policy?

Mrs. Castle

Yes, indeed we will. We have already referred to the Council the ideas which we have evolved for inclusion in the White Paper on road safety which I shall be presenting to the House before very long.

Following is the list:

The National Road Safety Advisory Council is composed of the following twenty members: