§ Order for Third Reading read.
§ [Queen's Consent, on behalf of the Crown, signified.]
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, That the Bill be now read the Third time.
§ Sir Bernard BraineBefore we agree to this motion may I ask you, Mr. Speaker, whether the promoters of the Bill are now prepared to give an unequivocal assurance that they will seek leave in another place to delete from the Bill a certain provision, namely the railway link to the oil refineries on Canvey Island?
§ Mr. George CunninghamI have been asked to respond to that invitation on behalf of the British Railways Board. The Secretary of State for the Environment announced in September that he would be having a public inquiry about the possibility of revoking planning permisson for the United Refinery installa- 562 tion on Canvey Island. In the light of that decision and the urgent need for proceeding with this Bill, at long last, the British Railways Board has asked me to say that at Committee stage in the House of Lords it will seek to have the provision relating to the spur line on Canvey Island removed from the Bill. As the vicarious protagonist of the hon. Member for Essex, South-East (Sir B. Braine) throughout this matter, it would be curmudgeonly of me at this point not to pay tribute to his vigorous and prolonged efforts in this matter. It will be with strong but mixed feelings, and I am sure I speak on behalf of the whole House, that we shall contemplate the possibility of not hearing yet again the hon. Gentleman's speech on this subject.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. We all have mixed feelings on that.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read the Third time and passed.