Busy Session for Ministry
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From Our Political Correspondent
THE Ministry of Transport enters the 1962-63 session of Parliament with no major legislation on the stocks, but with plenty of work to do just the same.
Various sections of last session's two big Acts are coming intolforce at various times, and the boards to run the component parts of the B.T.C. are being appointed and are settling down to work. . In addition, " shadow " legislation is being drafted pending entry into the Common Market.
The Jack Report on Rural Transport is likely to be dusted down and looked at carefully again when the Beeching proposals for the railways are studied at the end of this year. The proposals are likely to cause fireworks in Parliament, in the Ministry and in the country. Legislatively, however, any action on them can be taken under the 1962 Transport Act.
A decision connected with thc Common Market concerns the new Channel crossing, on which the Franco-British group of experts is still grinding toward a conclusion.
-A meeting of the two-nation group was held in London last week, with officials from the respective transport, finance. foreign and trade ministries present.
As regards the Rochdale Report, no legislative action is expected this year. It will be remembered that the committee anticipated this, and recommended urgent temporary action in a number of fields. including Ministry studies of problems affecting port development and efficiency.
Reports that Mr. Heath is to ask the Common Market countries to hold te-, implementation of common transport policy for some years are considered premature. This would obviously be an advantage, but since the " six " are taking so long to agree among themselves, the British hope is that we shall be "in" before final policy is formulated—and thus be capable of affecting its shape.