HC Deb 19 January 1978 vol 942 cc805-6

Queen's Recommendation having been signified—

Resolved, That, for the purposes of any Act of the present Session to provide for the planning and development of public passenger transport services in the counties of England and Wales; to make further provision about public service vehicle licensing, the regulation of goods vehicles and off-street parking; to make amendments about British Rail and railways, and about Freightliners Limited and the finances of the National Freight Corporation and other transport bodies in the public sector; and for purposes connected with those matters, it is expedient to authorise—

  1. (1) all such charges or increased charges on public funds as may result from—
    1. (a) provisions which enable non-metropolitan county and district councils to make grants to persons carrying on public passenger transport undertakings and to persons providing community bus services or organising social car schemes consented to by the traffic comissioners (but not provisions authorising local authority grants for any other purposes);
    2. (b) provisions requiring a non-metropolitan county council, with a view to implementation of its public passenger transport plan, to provide supporting finance for the provision or retention of services and facilities required by the plan;
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    3. (c) the transfer from the National Freight Corporation (`N.F.C.') to the British Railways Board (`B.R.') of securities of Freightliners Limited (`Freightliners') and of liabilities of N.F.C. under guarantees given by it in respect of obligations of Freightliners;
    4. (d) any consequential variation of the commencing capital debt of B.R. or N.F.C.;
    5. (e) writing down to £100 million the total liability of N.F.C. in respect of its commencing capital debt and the principal of money borrowed by it from the Secretary of State under section 19 of the Transport Act 1962;
  2. (2) the payment out of money provided by Parliament—
    1. (a) of grants to N.F.C., up to a maximum aggregate of £15 million, in respect of capital expenditure by National Carriers Limited (`N.C.L.') or N.C.L.'s subsidiaries in the period 1st July 1978 to 31st December 1981;
    2. (b) of sums required by the Secretary of State for reimbursing N.F.C. in connection with—
    1. (i) the funding by N.F.C. of certain pension obligations of N.F.C., N.C.L. and its subsidiaries and Freightliners and its subsidiaries, and
    2. (ii) payments by N.F.C., N.C.L. and N.C.L.'s subsidiaries in respect of travel concessions to former employees of B.R. and their widows and dependants;
  3. (3) increased payments out of money so provided—
    1. (a) under section 6(1) of the Local Government Act 1974 (transport supplementary grant) towards compensation payable under provisions for the regulation of off-street parking; and
    2. (b) under section 8 of the Railways Act 1974 (grants to assist provision of facilities for freight haulage by rail);
  4. (4) such other increased payments out of money so provided as may result from provisions of the said Act of the present Session which increase the administrative expenses of local authorities and government departments; and
  5. (5) increased payments into the Consolidated Fund under other enactments.—[Mr. Walter Harrison.]