§ 84. Mr. Bishopasked the Minister of Transport if she will give an undertaking not to approve further railway closure proposals until her new policy for social grants comes into operation.
§ Mrs. CastleI am of course considering all closure proposals with the new policy in mind. But where it is clear from the full examination under the existing procedure, including reports from the T.U.C.C. and the Economic Planning Council, that the retention of the services in question is not justified, it would not be right to prolong uncertainty by suspending action entirely.
Where, however, there appears to be a case on social or economic grounds for a grant under the terms of Clause 36 of the Transport Bill, I propose to defer my decision on the closure until I have full details of what a grant would cost. This will enable me to determine whether the continuation of the service, either in its existing or in some modified form, would represent value for money.