HL Deb 13 April 1949 vol 161 cc1167-8
VISCOUNT SWINTON

My Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures have been taken, or are being taken, to give effect to the proposed amalgamation of B.S.A.A. and B.O.A.C. in anticipation of the passing of an Act of Parliament to authorise such amalgamation; and how far will such measures have to be reversed or modified if legislation is not passed?]

THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (LORD PAKENHAM)

My Lords, as the noble Viscount is aware, Mr. Booth has been appointed to the Board of B.O.A.C. while continuing to hold the office of Chairman of B.S.A.A. Similarly, Mr. Whitney Straight has been appointed to the Board of B.S.A.A. The pooling of aircraft on the North Atlantic routes, caused by the withdrawal of the Tudors and initiated before amalgamation was proposed, has been continued. A great deal of preliminary planning is, of course, necessary before the proposed amalgamation can take effect, and this is now in progress. As regards the second part of the question, the answer as it emerges from what I have just said, is that no irrevocable steps have been or are being taken. If, however, legislation were not to be passed, the integration of operations now planned would have to be reversed, with consequent loss of the advantages to which I referred in my statement in this House on March 15.

VISCOUNT SWINTON

My Lords, arising out of that reply, may I ask the Minister what exactly he means by "no irrevocable steps"? I presume that all steps are revocable unless you become hopelessly and irrevocably landed in a bog. What I would ask the Minister specifically is this: Is he making any changes in the administration or in the organisation of B.S.A.A. which are not within his powers under the existing Act and, if so, under what authority is that being done?

LORD PAKENHAM

My Lords, the answer, naturally enough, is in the negative. I am adhering strictly to the law. We are endeavouring to steer between the Scylla of impropriety and the Charybdis of procrastination, and we are succeeding.

VISCOUNT SWINTON

A very characteristically Labour attitude!