Orders of the Day — Civil Aviation

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 23 November 1961.

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Photo of Group Captain Clifford Wilcock Group Captain Clifford Wilcock , Derby North 12:00, 23 November 1961

If my company failed and went the way some hon. Members may like to see it go, there would be no local flying from Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, Burton and Sheffield, because B.E.A. cannot fly from those places. Therefore, hon. Members should be careful and consider the interests of the general public when they criticise independent air operators.

Both Corporations are doing a sound job, but I wish that we had only one Corporation. If the Minister wants economy with efficiency, he should consider having only one Corporation. There is no reason why there should not be only one. The Corporations do not need to be in competition with each other. They do different jobs. They could form different sections of one Corporation. There is no point in having two.

The Corporations and the independents both have a vital place. They must both prosper, because we want a second line in the air. We must have that. It suits the requirements of the nation to have State Corporations and private independent concerns, and I hope that we shall continue this policy.