§ Mr. Maxwell-Hyslopasked the Minister of Transport what action he has taken to ensure, as a condition of his consent to the closure of Exe Valley line, the provision of a bus service to connect Bramford Speke with Thorverton and Tiverton in substitution for the existing train service, and to ensure that before such closure takes place the roads between Bramford Speke and Thorverton, and Morebath and Bampton, respectively, are adequate to accept bus traffic without creating additional traffic hazards.
§ Mr. MarplesAs regards the first part of my hon. Friend's Question, I have made it a condition of my consent in this case that the closure shall not take place unless and until there are available certain bus services on lines proposed by the South Western Transport Users Consultative Committee. As regards the second part, application for
216Won average salary during the whole period of membership of the fund and partly on average salary during the last seven years of membership.
In these circumstances, the rate of pension of a person is influenced by his career pattern, and it is, therefore, not possible to make representative comparisons between pension rates granted before 1959 and in 1962. Salary increases between those years also affect the pensions granted.
In the case of persons in membership of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Superannuation Fund, however, pension benefits are assessed on terminal salaries. The comparable figures for a person in any of the under mentioned grades who was on a maximum salary of his grade and had at least 45 years' membership of the fund at date of retirement are:
licences for the bus services in question must be made to the Traffic Commissioners, who are bound by the Road Traffic Act, 1960, to have regard to the suitability of the routes on which any bus service is to be provided.