HC Deb 01 July 1965 vol 715 c122W
59. Sir C. Osborne

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will now make a statement on the Report of the National Board for Prices and Incomes on road haulage rates; and when the Report will be published.

Mr. George Brown

As the hon. Member will know, the report was published on Monday and I met representatives of the Road Haulage Association on Tuesday to discuss its main recommendations. In a statement following that meeting the Association's representatives stated that they welcomed the Board's constructive comments and would in particular recommend to their members that the principle of general rate recommendation should be abandoned. Although they maintained the view that most of their members would have to increase their rates, this would not mean that those firms that found it necessary to do so should necessarily raise them by the same amount. This co-operative response to the main recommendations of the report is encouraging. We shall be discussing the other recommendations with the Association and the trade unions in the near future.