§ 20. Mr. Lubbockasked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction to British Railways to supply copies of Press notices to any association of passengers which may ask for them.
§ Mr. CarmichaelNo, Sir. This is a matter of management for the Railways Board.
§ Mr. LubbockIs the Minister aware that by refusing to give Press notices to organisations representing thousands of passengers, such as the Orpington District Railway Passengers Association, the British Railways Board is causing large volumes of correspondence with the Chairman of British Rail and the General Manager and Divisional Manager of the Southern Region, which would be unnecessary if only those Press releases were given to the Secretary of the Association?
§ Mr. CarmichaelI doubt whether sending them the Press notices would noticeably cut down the correspondence. The Press notices are intended for normal newspapers, agencies and magazines for publication. The extension of their circulation to one organisation would mean that thousands of others would ask to be 29 involved, and the list would be endless. Information can be obtained from the Railways Board by writing to the appropriate authorities, as can copies of the Press notices.