Thatchers revitalised transport team
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IN A NEAR clean sweep at Marsham Street, a new Transport Secretary and one Under Secretary were appointed this week, and the Department of Transport has been brought into line with its European counterparts.
As expected, the Prime Minister has sacked former Transport Secretary David Howell and Under Secretary Reginald Eyre, and their places have been taken by former Environment Secretary Tom King and Northern Ireland Environment Minister David Mitchell.
Only Under Secretary Lynda Chalker remains in place this week, but as CM went to press on Tuesday, Mr King had still to decide on the allocation of ministerial duties.
This will not be the same as before the election, as the DTp has taken over the old Department of Trade's responsibilities for aviation and shipping, bringing Britain into line with other European governments which treat all transport as one function.
While this move was not entirely unexpected — not least because two ministers had to attend EEC transport council meetings until now — the DTp was surprised that it had not been given another minister for air and sea. They were the responsibility of a single trade minister before.
Mr King, who was 50 on Monday when he took over his new job, remains in the Cabinet, and has only been there since he replaced Michael Heseltine at Environment in January.
He has been Bridgwater MP since he won a by-election there in March 1970, and was Local Government Minister from 1979. He was educated at Rugby and Cambridge and has industrial management experience.
The new Under Secretary is 55 next week and is MP for Hampshire North West. He was Industry Under Secretary from 197910 1981, before moving to Northern Ireland, where his responsibilities included transport.
The new Transport Secretary's responsibilities will include the challenge of facing the Serpell Report on railway finance and the question of whether another Severn Bridge should be built. Department of Transport thinking seems now to be veering away from proposals for a second bridge, prefering to strengthen the existing one instead.