§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will have a comprehensive investigation made into all aspects of transport to ascertain to what extent there would be economic and environmental advantages if all public transport services were free of charges, if freight on rail were 10 per cent., 15 per cent., or 20 per cent. subsidised, taking into account the reduction of road vehicles and the saving of petrol and oil costs on the balance of payments.
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§ Mr. William RodgersI am not convinced that an investigation of the kind my hon. Friend advocates would be justified. His proposals run counter to the policies set out in the Government's White Paper on transport policy (Cmnd. 6836), which was the result of a full review involving wide consultation.