§ 78. Mr. Mellishasked the Minister of Transport when he expects to be able to state what modifications will be made in the railway modernisation programme as a result of Her Majesty's Government's review of the programme of public investment for 1961–62.
§ Mr. MarplesI regret that I cannot add to the Answer I gave on 1st July to the hon. Member for St. Pancras, North (Mr. K. Robinson).
§ 95. Mr. Bennasked the Minister of Transport, if he will give an assurance that no action will be taken on the Stedeford Committee's recommendations until Parliament has had an opportunity to discuss them together with the report of its own Select Committee on British Railways; and if he will also give an assurance that, meanwhile, the modernisation programme will be permitted to proceed at the pace previously agreed between him and the British Transport Commission.
§ Mr. MarplesAny action arising from the Special Advisory Group's Recommendations which requires legislation will come before Parliament as a matter of course. On matters not requiring legislation, I shall need, before reaching decisions, to have regard to the degree of urgency.
With the agreement of the Chairman of the British Transport Commission, a review of certain projects in the modernisation programme is currently in progress, and I should not feel justified in promising that expenditure will necessarily continue on all of them until Parliament reassembles.