§ 76. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Minister of Transport whether he will give a direction to the British Transport Commission under Section 4 of the Transport Act, 1947, to defer the London fare increases until the Committee of Inquiry's report on London Transport is presented.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydNo. Services in the London area are incurring losses at the current level of fares of about £5 million a year, and I could not contemplate adding to the Commission's accumulated revenue deficit at this rate.
§ 82. Mr. Gibsonasked the Minister of Transport what action he proposes to take to protect the London travelling public in view of the heavy burden which will have to be borne as a result of the recently announced further increase of fares.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe charge for transport services must be related to the cost of providing them, and the Transport Tribunal on whose decision the increases are based recorded that during the next 12 months services in the London area would be likely to run at a loss of nearly £5 million at the current level of fares. So far as action on my part is concerned, I have, as the House knows, already appointed a Committee to ascertain what practical measures can be taken by the British Transport Commission and the London Transport Executive in order to secure greater efficiency or economy.