§ Mr. Cassellsasked the Minister of Transport whether, in light of the decision by the Appeal Tribunal under the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933, to the effect that, if railway companies have transport facilities available for goods, other parties providing transport by road are not to be permitted to operate and are to be put out of business without compensation, he is prepared to take immediate steps to obviate such injustice in the future?
§ Mr. Burgin:I am not aware that the Appeal Tribunal have given any such general decision. The hon. Member may have in mind a particular case, in regard to which I answered questions by the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Holds-worth) and other hon. Members on 16th March. Since that date the British Road Federation have discussed with my Department their proposals for the amendment of the Road and Rail Traffic Act.
§ Sir A. Knoxasked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been 891W drawn to the decision of the appeal tribunal on the 18th February, by which, at the instance of the London and North-Eastern Railway Company, licences have been withdrawn from the Blyth Transport Company and the B. and C. L. Transporters, Limited, who have been conveying fish by road from Tyneside to Billingsgate since 1932; and, since this decision confers a monopoly for the carriage of fish on the London and North Eastern Railway Company, has caused loss to the transport companies, and involves four handlings of the fish instead of two, if he will take steps to prevent such occurrences in future?
§ Mr. Burgin:I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which I gave on this subject to the hon. Member for South Bradford (Mr. Holdsworth) on 16th March, and to the reply given today to the hon. Member for Dumbarton-shire (Mr. Cassells).