§ Mr. Manuelasked the Minister of Transport what use he proposes to make of his powers under Section 54 of the Transport Act 1968 to relieve the Railways Board of its responsibility for subsidising replacement bus services provided as a condition of his consent to the withdrawal of rail passenger services; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MarshParagraphs 59 to 61 of the White Paper on Public Transport and Traffic (Cmnd. 3481) announced an intention to transfer to the National Bus Company and the Scottish Transport Group the obligation to arrange for the provision of those additional bus services which are required as a condition of consent to the withdrawal of rail passenger services. Under the powers provided in subsection (5) of Section 54, I have now varied the conditions applying to a large number of past consents in order to transfer to the National Bus Company and the Scottish Transport Group as appropriate the obligation to provide or secure the provision of those services which are already being operated by their subsidiaries or by independent operators under contract to these subsidiaries. Negotiations will now take place to see whether it is possible to transfer financial responsibility to the new authorities for the small number of replacement bus services at present provided by other independent operators and municipal undertakings. Further changes will in any case fall to be made in due course in respect of such services operating wholly or mainly within the areas of the first four Passenger Transport Authorities and within the London area.
Most of these replacement bus services will in future be provided by the National Bus Company and the Scottish Transport Group, or under arrangements made by them. They will, of course, continue to be subject to the licensing powers of the Traffic Commissioners. This change of responsibilities has led me to review the present arrangement under which changes 21W in the level of service have to be submitted for my approval however long ago the rail closure took place. I am satisfied that, after a reasonable period, these special bus services should properly be regarded as a part of the general public transport system of the area and that the normal control exercised by the Traffic Commissioners will effectively safeguard the position of former rail users. In these circumstances, I have decided to place a limit of two years upon the period during which the new authorities must seek my approval before reducing or withdrawing these services.
In the relatively small number of cases were services will continue for the time being to be run by independent operators outside the aegis of the new authorities, and at the expense of the Railways Board, proposed changes will still need my prior consent.
I have also decided that while the Railways Board will continue to be responsible for reporting to me changes in neighbouring bus services which were already in existence at the time of consent to closure, this requirement will also only last for an initial period of two years as from the actual time of closure.