§ 59. Mr. Straussasked the Minister of Transport if he proposes to take the necessary action to enable British Railways workshops to tender for equipment required by purchasers outside the publicly-owned transport sector; and when such action will be taken.
§ 63. Mr. F. Noel-Bakerasked the Minister of Transport when he will take the necessary action to enable British Railways workshops to tender for orders from outside the publicly-owned transport system, including export orders.
§ Mr. Tom FraserI have removed the existing Ministerial restriction and approved the British Railways Board proposal (the full terms of which, with permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT) to make wagons for customers outside the publicly-owned transport sector for use on the nationalised railways in this country. Manufacturing for export would require new legislation and I am looking into this question.
Following is the Board's proposal:
It is quite possible that rail customers may increasingly wish to own their own rolling stock and containers; particularly the latter. The Board are advised that so long as privately-owned railway equipment is manufactured for use on the Board's railway system or on that of any other Board (within the context of Section 1 of the Transport Act, 1962) which has railways, the Board can themselves lawfully tender for the manufacture of that equipment; otherwise they cannot. It is the intention of the Board, therefore, to seek opportunities to tender for the manufacture for their customers of privately-owned railway equipment which is to be used either on British Railways or on the railways of any other Board.