§ 43. Mr. A. J. Irvineasked the Minister of Transport in view of the lack of integration in the Liverpool area between road and rail transport existing now and implicit in proposals being made for the future, if he will state the policy 294W of Her Majesty's Government towards the planning of communications in the Merseyside area, with particular reference to the work of the Steering Committee; and if he will put forward proposals for the creation of an area transport board designed to unify and harmonise the provision of transport in the area.
§ Mr. SwinglerWe are proposing to deal with transport and land-use planning as a comprehensive whole against the background of future economic and population trends. We and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government are consulting with the responsible authorities on Merseyside on how best to build on the work they have already done to achieve this end. This is a complex problem and I think it should be examined in greater detail before deciding the best arrangements for the provision of transport in the area.