HC Deb 03 May 1978 vol 949 cc232-3
20. Mr. Peter Morrison

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria he intends to adopt in his plans to extend public ownership in road haulage.

Mr. William Rodgers

The public interest, as always.

Mr. Morrison

Will the Secretary of State tell the House which sector of the road haulage industry he expects to be more profitable and to have better industrial relations under public ownership as compared with private ownership?

Mr. Rodgers

If this is the implication of the hon. Member's Question, I should not have thought that the private sector of road haulage has had an unimpaired reputation in industrial relations or in any other field. I am very glad to say that for the most part it has been a success and has been contributing usefully to the health of the country. The same is true of, for example, British Road Services—notorious for holidays in Las Palmas.

Mr. Walter Johnson

Is my right hon. Friend aware that successive Labour Party conferences have called for the nationalisation of road haulage companies with five or more vehicles specifically so that the drivers will work proper hours and the lorries will be properly serviced?

Mr. Rodgers

My hon. Friend is quite right to draw attention to the very high standards which the public sector has set and to the extent to which it has been a pace-setter in good working practices, and I think that that is absolutely right. That is why I hope that we shall be able to build—my hon. Friend rightly draws my attention to our commitment in this direction—upon the part of the road haulage industry which is already nationalised.