§ 27. Mr. F. Noel-Bakerasked the Minister of Transport in what way the British Railways Board proposed in Command Paper No. 1248 will differ from the former railway executive abolished in 1953; how he proposes to ensure close co-operation between that Board and the other nationalised transport undertakings and what control it is proposed to give to Parliament over its work.
§ Mr. Marples:The proposed British Railways Board, unlike the former Railway Executive, will be an independent statutory Board vested with its own assets and responsible for its capital debt and with its own statutory duties and powers. Further, there are to be regional boards, each with a representative on the Railways Board. Co-ordination between the British Railways Board and the other nationalised transport undertakings will be on the lines indicated in paragraphs 20 and 27–30 of the White Paper. Broadly speaking, the British Railways Board will be accountable to Parliament on lines similar to other nationalised industries at present.
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