HC Deb 11 February 1976 vol 905 cc427-30
8. Mr. Monro

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the effect on the Scottish economy of reductions in public transport.

13. Mr. Fairbairn

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has for improvements in transport and travel by road and rail in Scotland.

The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Mr. Bruce Millan)

I want to ensure that Scotland has an efficient and economical transport network, and, as part of this, services have to be adjusted from time to time as demand changes. At the local level, these matters are the responsibility of the regional and islands councils, through their transport policies and programmes.

Mr. Monro

Is the Minister aware of the alarm felt in Scotland among rail and bus passengers who fear that their future services may be slashed? Is he aware that railwaymen and bus crews are entitled to know what their future will be? Will he come clean and state clearly what the public transport situation will be in Scotland in a few months' time?

Mr. Millan

There is no need for the alarm. The position about rail services has been made absolutely clear, and the alarmist stories that have appeared are quite without foundation. The main responsibility for meeting subsidies on uneconomic bus routes rests with the regional councils and I am glad to say that they, with the Scottish Transport Group, are making arrangements in different parts of Scotland.

Mr. David Steel

Is the Scottish Office fully alive to the real disaster that is looming ahead in large areas of Scotland where the regional councils find that they are instructed by the Government not to increase their budgets while the Scottish Transport Group is demanding ever larger sums for uneconomic services? When will the Government bring forward legislation on bus transport?

Mr. Millan

I thought it was generally accepted in the House that decisions on priorities on bus services were best taken by local authorities and not by central Government. In the rate support grant settlement for 1976–77, there is provided as much support for bus services generally as last year, but with a greater tilting of the balance towards rural services. This has all been agreed with the Convention of Local Authorities.

Mr. Canavan

Is my right hon. Friend aware of the concern in the Central Region and elsewhere, where regional councils are expected to subsidise bus routes but the Scottish Bus Group will provide information only about its unprofitable routes and refuses to give information about its profitable routes? Will my right hon. Friend instruct this publicly-owned bus company that it should provide this essential information in the public interest, otherwise it will get no help from public funds?

Mr. Millan

I did not know about that difficulty. Arrangements have been initiated by central Government so that the Scottish Bus Group and local authorities should get together to discuss their problems. We have provided finance through the rate support grant, but the main responsibility must rest with local authorities, in conjunction with the Scottish Transport Group. Certain figures have appeared in public suggesting that very large sums have been requested by the Scottish Bus Group, but after negotiations with local authorities satisfactory arrangements have been made in most cases.

Mr. Fairbairn

Can the right hon. Gentleman assure us that there is no intention to close any essential rail routes to the centre and North of Scotland, to deteriorate further the bus routes in rural areas of those parts of Scotland, or to increase taxation on fuel or motorists, in order to prevent such things occurring?

Mr. Millan

The only circumstances in which rail services in Scotland would be threatened with the kind of massive closedown adumbrated in the newspapers would be if we accepted the usual exhortations of the hon. and learned Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Mr. Fairbairn) to make massive cuts in public expenditure.

Mr. MacCormick

Will the right hon. Gentleman reassure us in the Highlands by stating categorically that there are no current proposals to cut rail services to Oban, Fort William, Wick, Mallaig and Thurso?

Mr. Millan

Any proposal for any rail closure at any time is made publicly.

Mr. Younger

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that, as motoring becomes more expensive, the requirement for public railways becomes greater rather than less? Is he aware that the last Con- servative Government clearly decided that there was a need for a basic national network of rail services and that we have now reached a level at which we cannot cut any further without breaking that network?

Mr. Millan

We are already paying massive sums in subsidy to British Rail. The people calling for reductions in public expenditure well beyond anything that is likely to appear in next week's White Paper are hon. Members opposite.