§ 6. Mr. Gardnerasked the Minister of Transport if she will refuse her consent to further closures of certain railway 1772 passenger services in the East Midlands, pending consideration of the Transport Bill.
§ Mr. John MorrisMy right hon. Friend cannot give such an assurance but, in reaching decisions on any current closure proposals, she will certainly give full weight to the railway policy considerations reflected in the Bill.
§ Mr. GardnerIs my hon. Friend aware, however, that there is great concern in both Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire about the rate of closures of stations and services for local passengers? Is it not strange that, at a time when the House is considering a Bill to facilitate co-ordination of all local passenger services, including rail, British Railways should be determined that there should be nothing left to co-ordinate?
§ Mr. MorrisI know the concern of my hon. Friend, who has written to me about this issue. He knows that we are awaiting the report of the T.U.C.C. about a particular closure in his area. I must also tell him, however, that the economic planning council has been asked to look at the wider implications for traffic in his area.