asked the Minister of Transport whether he will take steps to relieve the railway industry of the many legislative anomalies in matters of charges and services which handicap it in competition with other forms of transport and prevent its earning a proper revenue and which for other reasons are out of date.

The charges schemes to be settled under Part V of the Transport Act will govern generally the charges and other terms and conditions applicable to the Commission's railway services and facilities, notwithstanding any previous statutory provisions of the kind my hon. Friend has in mind. Accordingly until the schemes have been settled it is not possible to consider whether any legislative action is desirable.