Mr Reginald Eyre: The serious part of the hon. Gentleman's question with regard to transport relates to the heart of the debate that is being conducted on the Serpell report on the nature of the development of a modern and efficient railway system.
Mr Reginald Eyre: I have not seen that report. However, if it is an accurate account of what my right hon. Friend said, there will be a good deal in it. The options that appear in the Serpell report are illustrative only. They show the network that there could be for various levels of support. The options presented are not a basis for policy choices on the structure of British Rail. That would require a great...
Mr Reginald Eyre: I cannot answer my hon. Friend's question precisely. The question by the hon. Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell) could not be answered, for the reason that I gave. However, to attempt to answer such a question would involve costs far in excess of the allowed maximum.
Mr Reginald Eyre: There are no railway closure proposals before my right hon. Friend. I emphasise that the options in the Serpell report are illustrative only, in the way that I have explained.
Mr Reginald Eyre: My right hon. Friend receives regular reports from the traffic commissioners about public service vehicles, but we are always willing to meet them to discuss particular points of concern.
Mr Reginald Eyre: Spot checks are part of the system for enforcing PSV standards. The number of inspections in Scotland is broadly in proportion to the number that take place throughout Great Britain. I note the hon. Gentleman's anxiety about the subject. We are willing to do anything that we can to improve and increase the standards of enforcement. I shall be ready to discuss that subject with the commissioners.
Mr Reginald Eyre: I note my hon. Friend's practical point. I shall arrange for that to be discussed with the traffic commissioners. According to my information, most inspections do not take place in laybys, as there is a desire to allow the PSV to go to a terminus, garage or proper parking space so that passengers will have disembarked and the inspection can be carried out properly. I shall certainly bear my...
Mr Reginald Eyre: I shall certainly discuss that point with the commissioners. If the hon. Gentleman has any special matter of concern and would be kind enough to let me have details, I shall ensure that the matter is discussed in detail.
Mr Reginald Eyre: I believe that considerable efforts are being made, within the resources that are available, to ensure that enforcement is carried out properly throughout Great Britain. Naturally, I am prepared to do anything that I can to improve those standards.
Mr Reginald Eyre: The Government have been glad of the opportunity provided by the debate. It allows us to put the record straight on a number of misconceptions and unnecessary scares. It allows us to begin to set an agenda for future debate and consideration. That debate must be about not only the important issues raised by Serpell but the whole future and role of the railway. I fear that the Opposition are...
Mr Reginald Eyre: I must emphasise to the hon. Gentleman, because right hon. and hon. Members of the Opposition are deliberately misunderstanding this, that there are no proposals for closure before the Government or before the House. The options that are referred to in the report are illustrative only and subject to all the qualifications that I have spelt out. We cannot altogether rule out consideration of...
Mr Reginald Eyre: I made it perfectly clear that they are illustrative options and that their purpose is merely to stimulate debate. That was their intention and they have undoubtedly succeeded in doing that. I was pleased to hear the reference by the right hon. Member for Stockton (Mr. Rodgers) and by my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) to certain aspects of privatisation,...
Mr Reginald Eyre: My hon. Friend knows that my right hon. Friend has often said that that is the basic position, but he has had to accompany it with the qualification that one must take account of the circumstances which apply in different parts of the country. Those are illustrated in the report. The situation could not be regarded as absolutely set in aspic. The discussion about the possibility of bus...
Mr Reginald Eyre: I repeat that no snap decisions and no closure proposals are before us. The options in the report are merely illuminatory—[Interruption.]—and their purpose is to stimulate debate. I wish to deal with fares. It has been alleged that there will be a 40 per cent. rise in fares for commuters. That is nonsense. Nowhere in the report is it suggested. There are no recommendations on fares in...
Mr Reginald Eyre: I am grateful, Mr. Speaker. The committee stated that fares and particularly the size of discounts given to season ticketholders were a subject for discussion. It also, to be fair, pointed to the possible effects on congestion. Mr. Goldstein said that it would in my view be wrong to go forward with other than modest increases without undertaking a very far reaching examination. I can...
Mr Reginald Eyre: I shall try to reply briefly to the points raised, because I know that the hon. Member for Westhoughton (Mr. Stott) is anxious to speak. As the hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr. Crowther) knows, clause 4(3) sets out the matters for which the authority is to have particular regard when assessing the executive's plan. They are; first, the cost of the provision of services and facilities, the...
Mr Reginald Eyre: The hon. Lady knows that domestic ratepayers pay only 19 per cent. of the cost. Therefore, their voting support is more easily commanded. The burden that falls upon the industrial and commercial ratepayers is not reflected because of voting arrangements. The hon. Member for Rotherham raised a point about planning. Nothing in the Bill prevents authorities from following proper policies. The...
Mr Reginald Eyre: I was explaining that the Bill does not prevent an authority from carrying out its duties. The various points raised by the hon. Gentleman need careful examination against that background. The hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Marks) raised the important question of cost-benefit analysis. My Department is developing the technique of assessing the benefits from any given level of...
Mr Reginald Eyre: In his thoughtful speech, my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Mr. Griffiths) said that he had no doubt that I would answer the Opposition's questions. I shall now do that, but I know well from the tone of the Opposition speeches that I shall not give pleasing answers to their questions. The right hon. Member for Barrow-in-Furness (Mr. Booth) was correct when he said that...
Mr Reginald Eyre: I beg to move amendment No. 4. in page 2, line 22, leave out from "charges " to end of line 24 and insert subsection (1) above shall have effect in relation to the next following accounting period as if the combined charges there referred to included an amount equal to the amount of the deficit.".
