Right turn for transport
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from our political correspondent THE CONSERVATIVE'S new Shadow Minister of Transport, Mr Timothy Raison, can be regarded as basically pro-road haulage but with some fairly strong reservations on the environmental side.
"I am not in favour of the wholesale transfer of the carriage of goods from road to rail," he told CM. "On the other hand, we have got to keep heavy vehicles out of villages and residential areas.
"One has got to be objective about road transport. One must try to look at the problems it presents — and possible solutions — dispassionately rather than in emotional terms."
Transport, of course, is only one-third of Mr Raison's portfolio. As Shadow Secretary for the Environment, he also covers planning and local government and housing and construction.
Mr Raison, 45, who was in Mrs Thatcher's first list of appointments takes over from Mr Paul Channon, who has been dropped from the Shadow Cabinet.
A journalist and publisher — he is a consultant to the magazine division of the International Publishing Corporation — Mr Raison has written extensively on party policy both for the Conservative political centre and the middle-of-the-road Bow Group, and will no doubt quickly familiarize himself with the road transport side of his new brief.
An early task for him will be to lead the Opposition case against the Railway Freight Facilities Grant, under the Railways Act 1974 which implements the Government's policy of providing incentives to the transfer of more freight from road to rail.