§ Mr. Maxwell-Hyslopasked the Minister of Transport whether it is still the policy of Her Majesty's Government not to sanction withdrawal of railway passenger services until after the completion of road works necessary to secure the approval of the Traffic Commissioners to bus services recommended by the Transport Users' Consultative Committee and accepted by him as necessary to avoid substantial hardship following the withdrawal of railway passenger services.
§ Mr. Tom FraserBefore reaching a decision on any rail passenger closure proposal, I take into account the available information about the roads which 45W may have to carry additional traffic as a result of closure. Where roads will plainly be inadequate for the extra traffic, I refuse my consent or I defer its implementation until improvements have been carried out. In other cases, and where the implementation of a consent is deferred, the provision of any extra bus services that I may require as a condition of my consent to closure is subject to licensing by the Traffic Commissioners, who are bound by Statute to have regard to the suitability of the roads for the services.