from our Parliamentary correspondent
Page 19
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Free buses urged
• It was a remarkable feature of modem life in Britain that it was almost impossible for a non-motorist to travel easily distances of more than 20 or 30 miles, said Mr William Hamling (Labour, Woolwich West) in the Commons last week.
Opening a short debate on commuter services, Mr Handing said this country's system of public transport was no longer financially viable.
He asked for a coherent view of the Government's policy in respect of transport in London, private and public, and how the two would be married together.
Mr Tom Driberg (Labour, Barking) said that the whole concept of making public services such as transport "pay their way" was absolutely futile and mythical.
This was not a party issue—the error had been first made by the post-war Labour Government in their Transport Act, in which they provided that publicly owned transport had to pay its way "taking one year with another," a phrase he had never understood. It was an idiotic phrase and an idiotic concept.
The proper ultimate solution was that all public transport should be totally free at the time of use, said Mr Driberg.
It would be an economical prospect in the end, he maintained, and would save an enormous amount of money.
Mr Michael Heseltine, Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, replying, said the policy that the commuting network should be brought to a break-even position was a policy of the last Government. The only effect which the Conservative Government had had on this policy was to phase out subsidies by 1973 instead of 1972.
It had also been the policy of the last Government to hand over responsibility for transport policies in London very largely to the GLC.
But the Government was interested in seeing what could be done in the totality of the problem, and studies and consultations were going on to sec whether any adjustment might be made in national policies.
Tachos and EEC
• If Britain joined the Common Market, tachographs would have to be fitted to most goods vehicles over 31 metric tons gross weight, and to passenger vehicles with more than eight seats not engaged on regular runs, said Mr John Peyton, Minister for Transport Industries.
NBC request
• A suggestion by Liberal leader, Mr Jeremy Thorpe, that a general direction should be given to the National Bus Company to reduce the rate of increases in bus fares was turned down by Mr Peyton.
Mr Thorpe said that in recent weeks these fares had accelerated by up to 40 per cent, but was told by the Minister that fares had to reflect cost increases.
Freight integration
• Mr Leslie Huckfield (Labour, Nuneaton) tried to find out Government proposals for the further integration of National Carriers Ltd, BR Express Parcels Services, British Road Sell/ices Parcels Ltd, and British Road Services general haulage, following the recent PIS Report, but Mr Peyton said that he awaited proposals from the Freight Integration Council and the National Freight Corporation.
Hours at docks
• Mr Robert Taylor (Tory, Croydon North West) asked if the Government would consider further relaxations in the drivers' hours regulations for vehicles engaged in dock work.
Mr Peyton said that he was always ready to consider exemptions to meet special needs, but in this instance the RHA had withdrawn its request for a relaxation.
No pay bias
• The problems of public transport could not be solved simply by paying grants at the same rate for all forms of transport investment, said Mr Graham Page, the Minister for Local Government and Development.
He made this point after Mr Roland Moyle (Labour, Lewisham North) had spoken about a bias against public transport in London, and asked the Minister to ensure that the grant system was altered to remove this bias.
Mr Page replied that he did not think there was any bias against public transport. He emphasized that the whole policy of transport in London had to be considered, and recalled that the GLC had been asked to put forward specific proposals about transport for further discussion.