§ Mr. SWANasked the President of the Board of Trade what steps are being taken to open out railways from Middleton-in-Teesdale and Wearhead to Alston, so as to make it possible to bring into cultivation land of that area and to exploit the mineral resources of the dales, thereby supplying our industrial needs and in the meantime give employment to large numbers of men that are at present out of work?
§ Mr. NEALI have been asked to reply to this question. Proposals for new railways in the area referred to are now under consideration by the Ministry of Transport in consultation with the other Government Departments concerned, but the information which has been obtained as to the probable agricultural and industrial traffic does not compare favourably with many other schemes of a similar nature in other parts of the county, and it appears there is only one small area in the neighbourhood of Middleton-in-Teesdale where there would be any considerable traffic to a light railway.