HC Deb 20 July 1977 vol 935 cc1580-2
7. Mr. Crawford

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the Chairman of British Railways.

16. Mr. Canavan

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the Chairman of British Railways.

Mr. William Rodgers

Quite soon.

Mr. Crawford

I am glad to hear that reply. When the Secretary of State meets the chairman, will he tell him that travellers in Scotland no longer want to put up with cast-off rolling stock from south of the border? Will he give a categorical assurance that there will be no cuts in the foreseeable future to the railway lines north and west of Perth, to Inverness and Wick, to Mallaig, Oban and Fort William and to Kyle of Lochalsh.

Mr. Rodgers

I sometimes get rather tired of the shrill complaints that come from hon. Members on the Scottish National Bench. Last time, if I remember rightly, it was the hon. Member for Moray and Nairn (Mrs. Ewing), complaining about refreshment facilities. I shall certainly make sure that the Chairman of British Rail notes the remarks of the hon. Gentleman.

Mr. Canavan

In order that the hon. Member for Perth and East Perthshire (Mr. Crawford) can gain first-hand experience of his party's disastrous separatist policies on transport, will my right hon. Friend ask the Chairman of British Rail to instruct the guard on the London-to-Scotland sleeper to awaken the hon. Member for Perth and East Perthshire at the Scottish border and ask him to produce his non-existent separate Scottish passport and his separate English pounds, which he is probably too mean to part with, and tell him to walk home to Edinburg—because if it had not been for the fact that a Labour Government nationalised the railways 30 years ago there would not be even a semblance of a public transport system north of the border?

Mr. Rodgers

I am sure that I could not have put it better. I was going to suggest that the logic of some of the questions from Scottish National Members was that we should take up the railways between England and Scotland and oblige the friends of the hon. Member for Perth and East Perthshire (Mr. Crawford) to walk across the border.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

When the Secretary of State next meets the Chairman of British Rail will he discuss the question of disciplinary action against train drivers who are drunk on duty? Will he point out to the chairman that among my constituents are those who survived the Eltham rail crash 10 years ago, and that a very serious view is taken of this kind of offence while on duty?

Mr. Rodgers

I am sure that my hon. Friend and others take a very serious view of offences of this kind, but we should keep it in perspective and realise that the great majority of those who work for the railways work extremely well and maintain very high standards of integrity and good sense.

Mr. Robin F. Cook

When my right hon. Friend meets the Chairman of the British Railways Board will he explain how it was that, despite many meetings between himself, the unions and the Board in the period leading up to the White Paper, it was not possible to give them advance warning of the cut in the public service obligation, of which they learned only when they read the White Paper?

Mr. Rodgers

It seems that my hon. Friend is raising a matter not of transport policy but of parliamentary procedure. The text of the White Paper was not available until its publication on that afternoon. It would have been improper for me to have shown it to the Chairman of British Railways or anyone else. I followed very correctly the procedures laid down. If the House wants to change those procedures—I know that they cause some discontent—it is for the House to decide.

Mr. Eldon Griffiths

When the Secretary of State meets the Chairman of British Rail, what steps will he take to make credible the Government's policy on cash limits? In partciular, will he tell the chairman that if there are to be very much higher wage settlements for railwaymen without matching productivity increases, it must mean higher fares, fewer passengers and therefore far fewer jobs?

Mr. Rodgers

The Chairman of British Rail and many others well understand the nature of cash limits.