asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that many large lorries and vans still have no direction indicators, or have types which cannot be seen by following vehicles unless their drivers pull out into the centre of the road; and what steps he proposes to take to persuade the owners of large lorries to remedy this defect.

There are serious difficulties in designing completely satisfactory direction indicators for heavy lorries. We have, however, made proposals to the industry for improving the visibility of direction indicators where fitted, and we intend to make regulations on these lines to apply early next year.

As it is possible to fit direction indicators to some heavy lorries, is not it possible to fit them to all, certainly as far as the back is concerned?

We do not intend to make it obligatory to fit traffic indicators to old vehicles at the present time. Our intention is to make it obligatory that where traffic indicators are fitted to vehicles they shall conform to a certain standard.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a further statement on the evidence supplied to him on 30th April last concerning alleged irregularities of Section 19 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, by operators of road transporter vehicles engaged on the transporting of cars from various Coventry car factories to different parts of the country.

These inquiries are bound to take time and I regret I cannot add anything at present to the reply I gave to the hon. Lady on 21st May.

While believing that the Minister does wish to make progress here, would not he agree that the letter from the district secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union in Coventry really gave dates and times and full details? Does the right hon. Gentleman know when we can expect a reply?

The difficulty with the letter which I have here is, of course, that the whole problem is that of getting people to submit real evidence. We are doing our best.

Is not also the difficulty that the right hon. Gentleman has not enough enforcement officers and appears to rely on evidence given by Members of Parliament and by the unions, which is not altogether satisfactory?

I am answering a Question about that later on.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is now in a position to announce his decision concerning the removal of the anomaly whereby the operation of car delivery vehicles is made possible under general trade licences when carriers' A or B licences are not required.

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer proposes to table a Clause during the Committee stage of the Finance Bill, the effect of which will be to remove this anomaly.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it is very nice to be able to say "Thank you", and that we in Coventry are very appreciative of this anomaly being removed?

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation why Mr. A. Richards, 52, Parkside Avenue, Barnehurst, has on two occasions been asked to take his three-wheeler motor car all the way to Maidstone to be weighed for taxation purposes when there is a public weighbridge within a mile of his home; and, in view of the loss of work and expense in which he has been involved, if Mr. Richards may now be reassured that the dispute has been resolved and that he will be required to pay £5 per annum tax instead of the £12 10s. asked from him.

As my right hon. Friend has explained in a letter to the hon. Member, Mr. Richards was invited to bring his vehicle to Maidstone because he disputed the weight as registered at the local weighbridge. The weight of this vehicle, after various adjustments were made, has now been finally determined as below 8 cwt. and Mr. Richards is therefore entitled to the £5 rate.

But can the Minister explain why it has been necessary to wait thirteen months before the official weight can be established? Is not he aware how difficult it is to clean all the dirt off after thirteen months and how much dirt can be picked up on the long journey from Barnehurst to Maidstone in wet weather? Is he aware that, even after all that, it was only 4 lb. over and that, for the 4 lb., Mr. Richards was asked to pay £7 10s., but that when he got back home he took off 5 lb. of mud which, at that rate, worked out at 30s. a lb.? Cannot something be done to help people to enjoy the pleasure of a motor car and will the Minister not make it a nightmare with these cat-and-mouse tactics?

I think that the hon. Gentleman is giving a slightly unfair impression. The procedure is that the vehicle is registered as under 8 cwt. on application. It may be six to twelve months later that it is called in to have its weight physically checked. It was then found, on 8th February, to be overweight—

Four lb.

No, 40 lb.; he had, therefore, collected nearly half a cwt. of mud underneath. After a certain amount of reweighing and adjustment, he was finally able to make the right weight. The fact is that this was very near the borderline.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Owing to the fact that the Minister has given the wrong weight, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter at the earliest opportunity on the Adjournment.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will give general directions both to the British Transport Commission and to British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways that they make it possible, as in the United States of America, to telephone from trains and aircraft and to install wireless so that news and other matters of interest can be listened to.

No, Sir. This is a matter for the undertakings themselves, who have already investigated it thoroughly. The general conclusion is that the provision of these facilities would be too costly; on some air routes there are, in addition, technical and language difficulties.

Does not my hon. Friend feel that it is a national matter too? From the point of view of people coming to this country, is not it important that they should have the same facilities as they have in the United States? As regards the train facilities, is not it true that this was tried out before the war, and that one of the reasons it is not being done has something to do with tunnels, because it is necessary to have some outside equipment? On the air side, is not my hon. Friend aware that when people are in difficulties, as I myself have been in coming back and trying to get to places at a certain time, they are informed that only members of the Government are allowed to send down messages of an urgent character?

I have no information on the latter part of that supplementary question, and I have no experience of it at the moment. I am sure that it is only in very grave emergencies that any such messages can be sent from an aircraft. My hon. Friend's suggestion is an interesting one, but to make such a scheme pay either on a train or on an aircraft would be prohibitive because of the cost per call. My hon. Friend mentioned the American railroads. Some experiments have been made with the installation of telephomes, radios and such "gimmicks" in trains to attract passenger traffic, but they have not, so far, proved successful.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he has considered the report of the Bowes Committee; and when he proposes to publish it.

I am considering the findings of the Report which was presented to me last Thursday. It has now gone to the printers and should be ready for publication before the end of July.

While thanking my right hon. Friend for that Answer, may I ask, as I asked him before, whether it is intended to publish the evidence, which, considering that the Committee sat for 2½ years, will be voluminous but which will be most helpful? Also, will he convey the thanks of the House to these gentlemen, who are not personally interested in this matter, for the long work they have had to do on it, although he cannot express an opinion about what they have done?

I agree that it has been an immense task, but I could not undertake to publish the evidence. It is of such a voluminous nature that it would not be possible. The Report goes into great detail and it will be welcomed by the House.

Can the Minister confirm what the Joint Parliamentary Secretary said some time ago, namely, that the Government's decisions and policy on the matters dealt with in the Report will be published at the same time as the Report itself?

I do not think my Parliamentary Secretary gave such an undertaking. I think that it would be much wiser to publish the Report and take the sense of the House and other interested parties upon it.

Will the Minister be good enough to look at the statement which was made? If it has been altered, I think it is a pity. Cannot the Minister give an undertaking that the Government's policy will not be long delayed and will be published as soon as possible after the Report, because it is a long time since this matter was first raised?

I will certainly give that undertaking. However, it would be wiser to publish the Report and let the House see it before the Government pronounce upon it.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware of the large increase, reported in the Summary of the Annual Reports of the Licensing Authorities for the year ended 30th September, 1956, in offences committed under the Road Traffic Acts in regard to working hours and keeping of records; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure stricter observance and enforcement of these statutory requirements.

We are recruiting additional examiners for these enforcement duties.

The Parliamentary Secretary has not answered my Question. I asked whether he was aware of the large increase in the number of offences about which he has previously been so complacent. Is he aware that in the Report referred to in the Question, it is stated that there has been an increase of 90 per cent. in the number of offences relating to excessive hours of working and a 70 per cent. increase in the number of offences concerning the keeping of accurate records? Will the hon. Gentleman now admit that it is because of the excessive competition on the roads that the law is not being observed?

Of course, there are some breaches of this law. There are over 1¼ million of these new vehicles on the roads; 3,300 of the offences are under Section 19 and 5,800 are under Section 16, and those figures are not excessively large in view of the large number of vehicles on the roads. We intend to recruit extra numbers when we can get them.

By how many does the hon. Gentleman propose to increase the enforcement officers' staff? In the statement that he made previously the number given was five—that is, from 100 to 105. One hundred is the same number as were available before the war when there were one-third the number of vehicles now on the roads.

We also have permission to draw 52 from the driving test examiners' staff. In order to find sufficient scope from that number we have now authority to raise the establishment by 40. We have, therefore, a good prospect this autumn of increasing the numbers engaged on this work.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in view of the overcrowding of the Central London streets even during the absence of buses, what steps he proposes to take, either to reduce drastically the number of buses that will be permitted to run or to restrict private cars in order that some movement of traffic may be possible at peak hours; and if he will make a statement.

The mean journey and running speeds of traffic in Central London have not altered significantly during the bus strike, although the number of vehicles has increased and the pattern of movement varied. I remain of opinion that any attempt to exercise direct control over the number of private cars entering Central London would be impracticable and undesirable. As regards buses, the Chairman of the London Transport Executive has already said that there will have to be a considerable reduction in mileage in the London Transport Area when work is resumed.

Does "considerable" mean more than half? If my right hon. Friend goes down Piccadilly from the West End to this House he will find at present that private cars so choke the roads at peak hours that it would be impossible to fit in many buses? Does he think that more than half the number of buses could return?

All these things are a matter of opinion, like the statement which has been made to me that 2½ private cars equal one bus.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what invitations were addressed by the Transport Users' Consultative Committees to railway passenger associations, the Transport and General Workers' Union, the National Taxi-cab Owners' Association, local taxi-drivers' associations, local authorities and members of the Home Office Working Party on Hackney Carriages when inquiring into the use of privileged station ranks by licensed taxi-drivers.

The object of my reference to the consultative committees was to obtain their views as the statutory bodies representative of the travelling public. The committees are free to decide what evidence from other organisations they need for their task, and if the hon. Member will await their report he will be able to see how extensive and thorough their inquiries have been.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he is aware that a number of these consultative committees have not issued any invitations to the taxi-cab drivers concerned to give evidence upon this matter? In the case of Slough, for instance, which was the first area where the matter arose before it became a nation-wide issue, there has not been a single communication with the taxi-drivers' association. Does the right hon. Gentleman expect there to be confidence in any recommendations made under these circumstances?

Yes, certainly. It is not for me to tell the consultative committees how to do their job.

Is the Minister aware that I have had a communication from a taxi-cab association in Leeds, which represents more than half of the taxi-cab drivers of Leeds, alleging that while they, who are not allowed on the station, were not consulted by this committee, the other organisation, which is allowed on the station, was invited to put forward its views?

I am sure that if the hon. Lady thought that the views should be put forward she would advise the organisation to do so, and that, if they were, they would be considered.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names of the members of the Transport Users' Consultative Committees for England, Scotland, and Wales, and particulars of any association they may have with organisations representing the travelling public.

Yes, Sir.

May I ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether he will use his influence with his right hon. Friend to make these committees more representative, more dynamic and more effective? Is he aware that there is not

The representation on these committees conforms, of course, exactly with the terms of the 1947 Act. I think that when the hon. Gentleman gets the long schedule of those who are on these committees he will see that they are very fully representative of the general railway users.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will now make a further statement on the economies being effected by the British Transport Commission in the light of the railway wages settlement.

The principal economies being made are:

Reduction of train mileage: The first cuts, which will be announced within the next 48 hours, represent about 9 per cent. of present passenger train mileage on the Western Region. Other Regions will follow.

Reduction of overtime or weekend working: This has been eliminated in a number of railway workshops.

Reduction in repairs and maintenance expenditure: The scrapping of 100,000 freight wagons is to be completed by the end of the year. The rate of withdrawal is now 4,000 wagons a week.

Restriction of recruitment: At this time of the year recruitment normally rises. This year it is being severely reduced and normal wastage is not being fully replaced.

Elimination of unremunerative services: The Chairman of the Commission and I have each had talks with the Chairman of the Central Transport Consultative Committee. Over 30 branch line services have been earmarked for withdrawal and will be submitted to the Transport Users' Consultative Committees within the next few months, in addition to the proposal to close the old Midland and Great Northern line, recently announced.

While thanking my right hon. Friend for that very full reply, may I ask him if he is satisfied that the fullest consultation is taking place between the British Transport Commission and the trade unions involved in the railway world? Secondly, can he say when this decision will be implemented in a form which will inform the travelling public exactly how and when they will be affected?

The first point which my hon. Friend has raised is a most important one, and I have been assured by the Chairman of the Commission, and I know that it is true, that every possible consultation is being held with the trade unions so that they are fully informed and can play their full part in these necessary closures. As to the second part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question, as I have said, announcements of the actual cuts, changes in train time-tables and the like will start to be made within the next 48 hours.

May I ask the Minister two Questions? Can he tell us how much these economies will amount to, above the amount which would naturally have been put into operation as a result of the general review of its affairs by the Transport Commission; and, secondly, while everyone agrees that it is perfectly easy to cut down expenditure in any organisation, can he assure us that the public service of the railways is not being seriously damaged by the cuts he has told us about today?

As to the first part of the right hon. Gentleman's supplementary question, that was made plain when I answered previous Questions on this matter. It is that the extra cost of wages settlements has to be recovered by economies, and they were all set out quite clearly in the previous Answer which I gave. As to the second part of the supplementary question, which is a very important one, this is not an attempt just to slash the railway services quite regardless of the general modernisation plan and the future of the railways. It is carefully dovetailed into that plan, and we are trying to make the railways fit the present day, when there are 7 million road vehicles available. That, therefore, necessitates great changes from previous days, when there were no road vehicles at all.

May I ask my right hon. Friend if, while obviously in some cases the local interest must give way to the national interest in this matter, he and the authority concerned will bear in mind that the local people will take such a drastic thing as the closure of a local line much more readily if two criteria are borne in mind; namely, first, that real economy is effected by the closure, and, secondly, that there is adequate alternative transport?

Both these things have to be considered by the Transport Users' Consultative Committee, but I say again that I hope that hon. Members of this House will, as far as they properly can, help in this necessary work of making the railways modern and efficient.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in view of the fact that in the four weeks ended 22nd February only 39·7 per cent. of British Railways expresses arrived on time and only 66·1 per cent. within five minutes of booked time, and that both these percentages in any event are lower than for the same period last year, if he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission to institute a general revision of all schedules in the light of existing traffic conditions.

No, Sir. This is a matter for the British Transport Commission, which is already giving it special attention. The introduction of diesel and electric motive power will make it possible to revise and speed up a number of schedules. At the same time, until the many engineering works on modernisation are completed, they are bound to cause occasional delays which regional managements are doing their best to keep to a minimum. The Commission does not consider that these temporary and varying delays can be allowed for by the revision of timetables which are brought out twice a year.

Can not the Minister induce the British Transport Commission to publish more frequent and up-to-date records of train time-keeping? Is he aware that it is very difficult indeed, other than by searching through rather obscure railway journals, to find out what is happening? Is the Minister satisfied that the British Transport Commission is not inhibited by a fear that punctuality is rather reminiscent of Mussolini and that there is something discreditable in securing a high level of punctuality—a thing which, I regret to say, is not the experience of many people at the present moment?

I do not accept that at all. This is part of the price which we have to pay at the moment for modernisation. If one is rebuilding stations, changing the track and modernising, one will occassionally have to accept some delay.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how the total investment in the railway programme for the two years 1958 and 1959 compares with the total forecast in the regional budgets produced subsequent to the imposition of the 1957 restriction on capital investment.

As these budgets are part of the internal administrative arrangements of the British Transport Commission, no details were submitted to me.

But is not it unfortunate that the arbitrary cuts in capital expenditure were imposed before the regions had been consulted and it had been ascertained by how much they were able to accelerate their programmes? Has the Minister these figures or can he obtain them from the Commission, to see whether the capital investment programme could be accelerated still further, since it is a matter of great urgency, as is shown by the economies now being made?

It is rather an old story now. As the hon. Gentleman knows, since all this discussion the railways have been granted another £25 million. This is, I think, extremely generous treatment; they will make good use of the money, and I think that they had better get on with it.

Is it a fact that of that £25 million only £15 million is in addition to the original programme intended to be carried out? Can the Minister say whether, if the regional programmes had been added together, they would have come to more or less than the total programme including this additional £15 million?

I am not concerned with that. What I am concerned with is that, in the recent discussions I had on behalf of the Government with the Transport Commission, the Commission received the amount of capital injection which it felt would most help it to speed up its most profitable services. That amount the Commission had; it has all it asked for on that basis, and I think that that is right, but I do not think there is justification for asking for any more.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will introduce legislation to establish a South Wales Docks Board charged under the British Transport Commission with especial concern for the administration and development of the South Wales ports.

No, Sir. These ports are already administered as one unit and we do not think there is a good case for legislation.

Is the Minister aware that if they are administered as one unit, they are not administered equally and fairly, and that conditions militate against Cardiff docks? Is he also aware that there appears to be no drive by his Department to ensure that at least the same rates shall be charged in Cardiff as in London and the North?

I do not accept that a change in administration would make things any better. The position is that the Commissioners are certainly doing their best, and since they were established they have spent a total of £5½ million on improving South Wales ports. It is their policy to maintain them in the highest efficiency. As far as Cardiff is concerned, they have deferred a decision to undertake developments there until they see a greater prospect of an adequate return on the capital.

Is the Minister aware that he is giving the impression that the national dock authority is prepared to wipe out Cardiff as a useful port, and that his last statement will be regarded with dismay by all the people concerned in the Cardiff dock area?

No, Sir; I cannot accept that, and I did not say that. I said that the Commissioners had deferred a decision for the reasons I have given.

Will the hon. Gentleman try to explain to the House why it is that the dues at Cardiff docks are much higher than elsewhere, and can he tell us when we are going to have an end to this anomaly?

We had a Question on the matter last week, and I am writing to the hon. Member who raised it. If any further details are required, I should like to see a Question on the Order Paper.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter on the Motion for the Adjournment at the earliest possible opportunity.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is yet in a position to make a statement regarding the Milford Haven Conservancy Authority.

I am glad to inform the House that Lord Dynevor has accepted my invitation to be the first Chairman of the Board. Consultations are in progress about the other appointments to the Board.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, because of the importance of this Authority in my constituency, we hope that Lord Dynevor will have a successful term of office? May I ask him for an assurance that the present difficulties that have arisen between the Crown Estates Commissioners and the proposed developers will in no circumstances be allowed to impede the development of Milford Haven?

On the first part of that supplementary question, I am very grateful to Lord Dynevor, and I think that the hon. Member and the whole House will wish him well in starting this great new port authority. As to the second part of the supplementary question, I am very hopeful now that a satisfactory arrangement will be reached over this very difficult question which will be quite satisfactory to the petrol companies and will allow the work to go forward.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether the shortage of radio officers is restricted to the marine radio companies; and if he will make a statement.

As the marine radio companies provide the great majority of radio officers, they have, naturally, borne the brunt of the shortage. I understand that the position has slightly eased since the statement which I made on 14th May in answer to a previous Question by my hon. Friend.

I thank my hon. Friend for his reply, but may I again ask him to draw to the attention of the marine radio companies the circumstances of a constituent of mine, who qualified in Southampton as a radio operator but who has been unable to find employment, presumably because he is coloured?

As my hon. Friend knows, I am doing my best about that case.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is now in a position to approve the scheme to widen Friar Street in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The borough council has already been informed that if it submits an application for a grant in the current financial year we are prepared to consider it favourably.

Is the Joint Parliamentary Secretary aware that that small improvement will give some small satisfaction to the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme, for which we are grateful?

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give Newcastle-under-Lyme Council authority to take all necessary steps to prepare for the trunk road improvement scheme from London Road to Milehouse Lane.

This is under consideration and we hope to take a decision shortly.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that nothing will satisfy the council and people of Newcastle-under-Lyme until approval has been given for the carrying out of this important trunk road improvement, which is becoming more and more urgent every day? Is he also aware that if he could give the council authority to acquire the small parcel of land that has not yet been acquired, in order to make ready the plans for the improvement, he would be in a better position to give his approval?

The hon. Member's assiduity in asking questions on this matter leaves us in no doubt of its importance. We are at present considering it, after the delegation called on us to tell us about it in detail, and I hope that my right hon. Friend will be able to give a decision very shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will take steps to ensure that at all metered parking places provision shall be made for the parking of invalid carriages without charge.

The Westminster Parking Places Order, which is the only one so far made, provides that on obtaining written permission from the Council drivers suffering from severe physical disability may leave their vehicles at parking meters without charge. We shall be prepared to give favourable consideration to similar provisions in any future scheme which may be submitted to us.