HC Deb 13 May 1966 vol 728 cc143-4W
Mr. Charles Morrison

asked the Minister of Transport if she will list all the private road hauliers who have been acquired by the Transport Holding Company since 1962, showing the date of acquisition, total sum paid, and number of vehicles and of employees at the date of acquisition for each.

Mr. Swingler

My right hon. Friend is informed by the Transport Holding Company that since 1962 it has announced the acquisition by the company or its subsidiaries of the road haulage undertakings listed in the table below, which also shows the approximate number of vehicles involved in each case. It would not be in the best interests of the Company to provide information about the price paid for individual undertakings or the number of employees in those undertakings.

Year Undertaking Approximate Number of Vehicles
1963
None
1964
Westfield Transport Ltd. 20
Furness & Parker Ltd. 44
Griff Fender (Swansea) Ltd. 30
1965
Ives & Smith Ltd. 20
Suffolk Plant Hire Co. Ltd.
James Express Carriers Ltd. 90
Gavin Wilkie Ltd. 20
George Read (Transport) Ltd. 50
*Harold Wood & Sons Ltd. 500
Corringdon Ltd. 70
†Tayforth Ltd. Not published
William Cooper & Sons (Carriers) Ltd. 20
J. E. Cartwright (Haulage) Ltd. 50
†P. F. Boers (International) Transportbedrijf N.V. Not published
1966 (to date)
E. G. Smith Ltd. 120
Castle Bros. (Hauliers) Ltd.
James Smith (Bicknor) Ltd. 40
West Coast Transports (Argyll) Ltd. 20
James McPhee Ltd.
†Bridges Transport Ltd. 100
Lawther & Harvey Ltd. Not published
Notes:
* In the case of Harold Wood & Sons Ltd., it was announced that the cost of purchasing the share capital and discharging certain liabilities was approximately £1.7m.
† Acquisition of 75 per cent. control. (In the case of Tayforth Ltd. it has been announced that the cost to the Transport Holding Company of acquiring a 75 per cent. interest was about £5m.)