Passenger Transport Vehicles (Construction Order)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 21 December 1944.

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Photo of Mr Philip Noel-Baker Mr Philip Noel-Baker , Derby 12:00, 21 December 1944

It has been my experience that people are not very backward in asking for deputations when they want them. I would not like to say how many I have a week, but it is a considerable number. These organisations said they were prepared to appoint a deputation. They did not ask for it, and we did not think it was necessary, because we understood every single point that was made in their Memorandum.

Now let me come to the merits of the requests which were made by those five organisations and with which my Noble Friend has had to deal. There were four and they related to the length, width, height, and weight of road passenger transport vehicles. My hon. Friend only dealt with two of the four and he skated very lightly over the remaining two. I will tell the House why; because my Noble Friend agreed to the requests which were put forward with regard to height and weight. He accepted the requests that the height of single-decker vehicles should be increased from 10 ft. 6 in. to 15 ft. and that the weight should be increased from 12½ tons to 14 tons, with certain technical elaborations. Therefore, 50 per cent. of those demands had been accepted.