STIFLING WHITE PAPER DEBATE BY DELAYS?
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From a special correspondent
WITH PARLIAMENT back at Westminster and the business of a new session due to begin next week, MPs are growing restive about the utter lack of Transport Ministry White Papers to explain the major Transport Bill which threatens to dominate domestic politics during the coming year.
Mrs. Castle is known to be in difficulties over the framing of her legislation, which will have to be carefully arranged if it is to get through. But Conservative MPs also suspect that she is indulging in practical moves to curtail advance criticism of her proposals before the Bill is actually launched.
It now seems certain that the series of White Papers on railway reorganization, PTAs, the NEC and goods vehicle licensing will not see the light of day this month. This leaves precious little time for MPs to debate them before the Bill is published and comes up for second reading.
MPs will discuss the contents of the Queen's Speech, outlining legislation for 1967-8, in a short series of debates beginning next week. If no transport White Papers are available in the next seven days or so the debate on transport will suffer from lack of information.
The Tories, in particular, will not be able to launch their promised all-out attack with anything like the fire and scorn that they have planned.
Their Front Bench told COMMERCIAL MOTOR this week that if the White Papers were not published before the Queen's Speech next Tuesday there would be an avalanche of criticism heaped on Mrs. Castle's head.
Said their transport spokesman, Mr. Peter Walker: "This would really preclude discussing them during the ensuing debate" —and he indicated this would make the Conservatives very angry indeed.
Mr. Walker said the present situation indicated either complete confusion at the Ministry, or a move by the Minister to avoid public discussion and public influence on the final drafting of her Bill.
"Either way it is a frightening position," he added. "It is important that the road haulage industry and the bus operators step up their activities in drawing the attention of the public to the real dangers of her proposals."
Mr. Walker continued: "Before the White Papers are published we know Mrs. Castle's intentions, as she made it perfectly clear at the Labour Party Conference that her main objective was an extension of public ownership and the production of a truly Socialist transport policy."
Mrs. Castle's troubles appear to stem from the real problems presented by the masses of detail in the Bill—plus the knowledge that many of her proposals will have to be framed to obtain the co-operation of people who are at present' opposed to her.
In particular, the PTAs are going to run into problems with local authorities, and so far as London Transport is concerned she has left the final proposals for its terms of operation very late. The NFC plans have also been lagging behind the timetable.