§ Mr. Thorntonasked the Minister of Transport in how many cases he and his predecessors exercised discretion in halting rail closures in Lancashire, Cheshire and the High Peak area since January 1965 ; and in how many cases social need was a factor in arriving at such decisions.
§ Mr. MulleyMy predecessors withheld consent either wholly or in part to proposals to discontinue railway passenger services on 17 lines and from one individual station in this area. Social need was a factor in every case.
179WMy predecessors also asked the Railways Board not to publish closure proposals for two lines, which were obviously unacceptable from the outset because of the potential importance of the lines to regional economic planning.