NBC sell-off looms
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THE NATIONAL Bus Company is to submit its proposals on privatisation to Transport Secretary Nicholas Ridley by the end of the month.
An early decision on just how it will be broken up to comply with the Government's deregulation policy will take some considerable time after that, Ridley made clear at the Conservative Party Conference at Blackpool this week.
Ridley, speaking after the transport debate, said that he expects NBC to conic: up with a range of probable solutions, from a minimum of four to a maximum of 60 separate companies.
He said the Government is determined to open up the benefit of competition to bus travellers, who have to be saved from the spiraling deterioration in bus services over the past 10 years.
He promised delegate David Homer that the new Junior 'Transport Minister, Lord Caithness, would make an an on the future of NBC pensions next week during the report stage the Transport Bill.
Ilorner told the conference that NBC employees were very worried that their benefits would he cut after privatisation and that they needed a reassurance to the contrary from the Government.
Ridley told him that the Government is well advanced in its probe for safeguarding pensions and he could assure him that he could tell his colleagues that their pensions would be safe.