§ 38. Mr. Hollisasked the Minister of Transport whether he will review policy in respect of licensing appeals to ensure that there is continued freedom for the travelling public to choose the form of transport they wish to use; that full regard is paid to the needs of the public in the provision of road passenger transport services; and that the discretion of licensing authorities in giving decisions is not fettered or biased in favour of the railway companies or the State-controlled road passenger transport undertakings.
Mr. BraithwaiteBoth the licensing authorities when determining applications for road service licences and the Minister on appeal must have regard to the considerations set out in Section 72 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930. As regards the last part of the Question, the discretion of the licensing authorities is not fettered otherwise than by the terms of the Act and is in no way biased in favour of the rail or road passenger transport undertakings controlled by the British Transport Commission.