BET criticized for anti-PTA support
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A DEMAND that the BET group should sever all its connections with organizations campaigning against passenger transport authorities, was made in Parliament last week by Mr. Leslie Huckfield (Labour, Nuneaton).
He asked the Transport Minister to give a direction to the Transport Holding Company to ensure that all anti-Government and antiPTA stickers were removed from BET buses. The THC should also be told to ensure that British Electric Traction dissociated themselves completely from the British Omnibus Companies Public Relations Committee, and the Passenger Vehicle Operators Independence Committee.
Mr. Huckfield also suggested that no BET staff at executive level should serve on the executive committee of the Independence Committee or any other similar action groups.
Mr. Stephen Swingler, Transport Minister of State, told him that although the THC had reached agreement with BET on terms for the acquisition of shares, the offer was conditional upon the enactment of the Transport Holding Company Bill to extend the borrowing powers of the Holding Company.
Until this acquisition was completed the THC would not have a controlling interest in these companies and a direction would accordingly be inappropriate.
Mr. Huckfield then asked for a direction to the Holding Company to dissociate itself completely from the various political and anti-passenger transport authority campaigns now being conducted, in the same way that they had previously dissociated themselves from the RHA's campaign against the new licensing proposals.
Mr. Swingler pointed out that as some of the TI-IC's principal road haulage subsidiaries were special contract members of the RHA. the company thought it should make it clear it was not associated with the Association's campaign against certain aspects of the proposals for carriers' licensing.
In the case of the THC bus companies, not one in which they at present held a controlling interest was in any way connected with the campaign concerning the poposals for PTAs. A direction was therefore unnecessary.