23. Mr. Bob Brownasked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the policy of Her Majesty's Government of moving Government departments into development areas, she will give a general direction to British Railways to maintain their present staff in such areas and, where as a result of mergers of regions movement is called for, she will give further general direction that such movement should be into a development area.
§ Mr. John MorrisI would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Dame Irene Ward) on 22nd February.—[Vol. 741, c. 291.]
Mr. BrownIs my hon. Friend aware that his reply can only cause dismay among believers in the rightness of the development area policy? Is he further aware that trade union confidence certainly is not increased when it takes the appearance of a Question on the Order Paper to shake the management of British Railways into negotiations?
§ Dame Irene WardAct!
§ Mr. MorrisWe had a debate on this matter this morning in which I canvassed the issues which concerned the Minister. My right hon. Friend is required to make an Order under Section 2 of the 1962 Act to merge the regions. It is for the Railways Board to decide where administrative offices should be located. As regards development policy, 100 jobs will be transferred from Newcastle to York and Peterborough and 1,000 staff will move from London to York.
§ Mrs. Gwyneth DunwoodyIs my hon. Friend aware that the continuing programme of railway closures and redundancies in the areas connected with development areas is causing great alarm and despondency and that until something is rapidly done about stopping these closures we shall have very grave doubts about whether anything will be left to integrate?
§ Mr. MorrisAs my hon. Friend is aware, my right hon. Friend looks very closely indeed at every application for closure which comes before her.
§ Dame Irene WardIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the Answer which he gave this morning was most unsatisfactory? What a good thing it is to have the co-operation of Tyneside Members in trying to protect the interests of the development areas! The hon. Gentleman was quite wrong in what he said today.
§ Mr. MorrisI thought, with all humility, that my answer was most satisfactory. Certainly it pleased my hon. Friend the Member for York (Mr. Alexander W. Lyon) and the hon. Member for Peterborough (Sir Harmar Nicholls).
§ Dame Irene Wardrose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. It seems that the hon. Lady will have to seek to raise the matter again on the Adjournment.
§ Dame Irene WardOn a point of order. May I have your advice, Mr. Speaker, because I do not think that it is any good trying to deal with this Government?