22.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received, as part of the consultations on transport policy on the provision of rural transport.
32.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has had about rural transport; and whether he will make a statement.
We have received many such representations in response to the consultation documents on the transport policy review.
Is the Minister aware that those on the Government side of the House who have rural constituencies welcome his decision to experiment with new forms of transport in rural areas, but does he appreciate that time is of the essence in this matter, as the problem is chronic? Will he give the House some information about how long the experiment will last and when he will be able to present recommendations to the House?
I certainly appreciate that time is of the essence. I strongly support my hon. Friend's view on that. The experiments are expected to run for 18 months, but we could obtain results on an interim basis, and they will be a basis for decision taking. However, we do not rely merely on experiments to lead us to conclusions. In the White Paper we are, in addition, looking at the whole matter of the traffic commissioners and licensing, and our conclusions will not necessarily rest on the results of the experiments.
Why is it necessary to have experiments, since experience is self-evident and there has been only too much experience of the deteriorating state of rural transport? Is the Minister not in a position to draw conclusions here and now and take action, rather than spending time on experiments?
That is partly true. We can draw general conclusions from the experience of the last few years, but we are dealing with a situation of extraordinary fragility, and it has reached a stage where, if we arc not careful, we could end up with a worse situation than that from which we started. However, in those rural areas where there is bad, or even no, public transport the experiments will be welcome.
The Opposition agreed to take the Second Reading of the Rural Transport Bill in Committee upstairs because of representations made to us about the pressure of business on the Floor of the House. As this is no longer one of the major problems faced by the Government, may we have an assurance that the Second Reading will take place on the Floor of the House, especially in view of the interest that has been expressed by my hon. Friends?
That is a question for the Leader of the House.