NINETEENTH REPORT
The Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs
Committee has agreed to the following Report:—
THE WORK OF THE COMMISSION FOR INTEGRATED
TRANSPORT
Introduction
1. The Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT)
was launched on 20 July 1999, approximately one year after it
had been announced in the Government's White Paper, A New Deal
for Transport: Better for Everyone.[3]
Professor David Begg, Director of the Centre for Transport Policy
at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, was appointed as chairman
of CfIT, and Sir Trevor Chinn, Chairman of Lex Service PLC, as
vice-chairman, in March 1999.[4]
They have been joined by fifteen others and four ex officio
members to make up the Commission.[5]
Administrative support is provided by civil servants from the
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR).[6]
2. CfIT was established to provide the Government
with independent advice on the implementation of its integrated
transport policy, to monitor developments in transport and related
fields, and to review the progress being made with the achievement
of transport objectives.[7]
Considerable importance has been placed on the Commission's guidance
by the Government with the Deputy Prime Minister describing its
work as being "vital to delivering a genuine integrated transport
system".[8]
The Government has also been keen to seek CfIT's advice on a range
of transport-related topics. Indeed, the requirements placed on
the Commission by the Government in the Integrated Transport White
Paper and its daughter documents have determined a large part
of CfIT's initial work programme.[9]
3. The Transport Sub-committee first heard evidence
from Professor Begg and Sir Trevor Chinn shortly before the Commission
was established in July 1999.[10]
We decided to take further evidence from Professor Begg on 19
July 2000 in order to review the Commission's work over its first
12 months.[11]
The Commission's first year
4. Since its inception CfIT has met seven times in
plenary session, and seven working groups have been formed to
consider specific issues such as local transport plans and the
physical integration of transport modes. The establishment of
the Motorists' Forum, which is intended to ensure that the views
of "the responsible motorist" are understood by Government,
was also overseen by the Commission.[12]
In addition, advice was submitted to the Government on the ten-year
plan for transport, and a survey was commissioned on perceptions
and priorities in transport policy.[13]
Most importantly, the Commission has published four reports during
its first year.[14]
5. In view of the value of CfIT's advice, we were
concerned to learn that no procedure has been put in place to
ensure that the Government replies formally to the recommendations
made by the Commission in its reports.[15]
According to Professor Begg, the Government had adopted "a
fairly ad hoc" approach to its responses: the Government
has either advised the Commission verbally of its views of a report,
or has only notified the Commission of its opinion through the
issue of a press release.[16]
Unsurprisingly, the Commission is unhappy with this approach.
It wants a mechanism to be put in place which will ensure that
when the Government chooses not to take CfIT's advice, it will
have to give an explanation for that decision.[17]
We agree, and we note that in spite of placing considerable importance
on CfIT's work, the Government has responded to the Commission's
findings in an inconsistent and wholly unsatisfactory manner.
We recommend that a system be introduced immediately to enable
the Government to reply formally to the Commission's reports.
The Government should set itself a target of publishing its response
within two months of a report being issued by the Commission.
6. We are also concerned at the rather ad hoc
nature of the Commission's relationship with other bodies, such
as those responsible for the devolved areas of the country. Although
Professor Begg had met Ministers from the Scottish Executive,
the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive Committee
on a number of occasions, the arrangements for these meetings
varied. In some cases meetings were initiated by the bodies themselves,
while in Scotland they were more reliant on Professor Begg's personal
contacts.[18]
We recommend that the Commission introduce a properly structured
programme of meetings with the devolved bodies in Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland. As well as assisting in the provision of
advice to those bodies, regular contact will allow the Commission
to monitor more closely progress towards achieving integrated
transport policy objectives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
7. Similarly, the Commission's relationship with
the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority (SSRA) should be reconsidered.
CfIT has not been asked to provide any formal guidance on the
objectives for the passenger rail franchise replacement programme
that is currently underway, nor on the wider investment priorities
of the industry. Professor Begg said, however, that he was able
to relay the Commission's views by means of his position as a
non-executive member of the SSRA.[19]
In addition, he argued, although it had not submitted a formal
paper on franchise replacement, CfIT had made its views known
to SSRA by holding meetings with its Chairman.[20]
We are not satisfied with these arrangements: rail has a key role
to play in an integrated transport strategy and CfIT's views on
the development of the network and its investment needs are too
important to be left to haphazard dealings with the SSRA.
The Commission should submit a paper containing its views on
the development of the national rail network and its investment
needs to the Government or directly to the SSRA. This should be
followed up by regular meetings between the Commission and the
Authority to discuss progress with these issues and to consider
other matters as they arise.
Conclusion
8. The Commission for Integrated Transport has a
valuable part to play in the implementation of the integrated
transport policy. Having created the Commission, the Government
must make certain that best use is made of its advice. Ensuring
that CfIT's views are taken into account by other authorities,
however, cannot be left to ad hoc meetings or simply by
making the Commission's Chairman a member of various boards and
other bodies. The Commission's relationships with those other
organisations charged with delivering the objective of an integrated
transport system should be formalised.
3 Cm 3950, July 1998. Back
4 First appointments for new integrated transport commission,
DETR Press Release, 30 March 1999. Back
5 Commission for Integrated Transport now in place, DETR
Press Release, 16 June 1999. Back
6 CfIT 01. Back
7 Cm 3950, para. 4.4. Back
8 Getting Britain moving, DETR Press Release, 20 July 1999. Back
9 Commission for Integrated Transport: work programme 1999-2000,
July 1999. Back
10 Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, Commission
for Integrated Transport, Minutes of Evidence, 14 July 1999,
HC(1998-99) 724-i. Back
11 See Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee press
notices Nos. 27 and 29, Session 1999-2000. Back
12 CfIT 01. Back
13 CfIT 01. Back
14 The reports are: National Road Traffic Targets (November
1999), Guidance on Provisional Local Transport Plans (December
1999), Pollution from Older Vehicles (March 2000), and
an interim report, Permitting 44-tonne Lorries for General
Use in the UK (March 2000). Back
15 Q 13. Back
16 Q 13. Back
17 QQ 45 and 46. Back
18 QQ 9-12. Back
19 Q 73. Back
20 QQ 81-84. The Chairman of the SSRA, Sir Alastair Morton, is also
an ex officio member of CfIT. Back
|
