APPENDIX 7: MEMORANDA FROM THE DEPARTMENT
FOR TRANSPORT (continued)
5. LETTER TO THE CLERK FROM
THE DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT, 23 NOVEMBER 2005 [BYERS.13]
Thank you for your further letter of 17 November
requesting further documents for the inquiry into the evidence
given by then Secretary of State to the Transport Sub-committee
of the Select Committee on Transport, Local Government and the
Regions on 14 November 2001.
Taking your requests and questions in the order given
in your letter:
1. The table below sets out who commissioned the
various briefing documents at flag 2 to my 7 November letter,
as well as the 12 June paper prepared by Mark Coulshed included
at flag 6.[157] Officials
often provide advice to Ministers on a proactive basis without
being specifically commissioned to do so, and it is not always
clear when advice was commissioned.
| Date 2001 |
Description | Commissioned
|
| 8 June | 'Railtrack—Financial Position' submission to Secretary of State (SoS) from David Rowlands, DTLR official
| Officials, June 2001 |
| 11 June | 'Railways: Background and Issues' submission to SoS by Bob Linnard, DTLR official
| Officials, May/June 2001 part of briefing for new Ministers
|
| 12 June | 'Railtrack Options for action by Government' Submission to SoS by Mark Coulshed, DTLR official
| SoS, 11 June 2001 |
| 26 June | 'Meeting with John Robinson, Railtrack 27 June 2001' Submission to SoS from Phil Carey, DTLR official
| Officials, June 2001 |
| 19 July | 'Dieter Helm' Submission to SoS from Bob Linnard with comments on Dan Corry's, Special Advisor, report on discussions with Dieter Helm.
| SoS ,July 2001 |
| 24 July | 'Meeting with John Robinson, Railtrack 25 July 2001' Submission to SoS from Phil Carey.
| SoS office, 18 July 2001 |
| 24 July | 'Railtrack options: Papers for meeting 1:15pm Thursday 26 July'. e mail covering papers to DTLR/No 10/HMT officials from John Nevitt, DTLR official
| Part of DTLR/HMT/ No 10 work initially instigated by SoS 20 June (see 2 below)
|
2. At the meeting on 20 June the Secretary of State asked for
joint HMT/DTLR work to look at options for Railtrack. Brian Hackland
from No 10 was also present at this meeting. In his note to the
Prime Minister of 29 June (see point 5 below), the SoS refers
to this joint working, also including the 'policy directorate'
(part of No 10). This proposal was further discussed and agreed
at the Prime Minister's transport stocktake meeting of 5 July.
The plan for joint DTLR/HMT work was developed on or around 20
June, a week before proposal for joint working on Railtrack options
proposed by officials within No 10 on 27 June. This is further
discussed below, in response to point 11 of your letter.
3. A note of the meeting of 20 June is attached at
flag A.[158]
4. As regards Railtrack, the 'last weeks papers'
referred to in the box note for the 20 June meeting is, we believe,
the paper dated 12 June 2001 by Mark Coulshed attached at flag
6 of my letter of 7 November.
5. A copy of the Prime Minister's note of 22 June
and Mr Byers' note of 29 June are attached at flag B.[159]
6. I attach at flag C papers prepared for
the 16 July meeting of the DTLR/HMT/No 10 joint working group,
and at flag D a transcript of a manuscript note of the
31 July meeting.[160]
I previously sent you papers prepared for the 26 July meeting.
No formal note of these meetings was taken.
7. As regards attendance at the meeting as no formal
notes were taken it is hard to be sure who was at each one. However
the papers for the 16 July meeting were circulated to David Rowlands,
Bob Linnard, and Dan Corry from DTLR, Nick Macpherson, Martin
Wheatley and Shriti Vadera from HM Treasury and Brian Hackland
from No 10. Attendees at the meeting are likely to have been drawn
from these individuals. The papers for the 26 July meeting were
circulated to the same individuals as well as Lewis Atter and
Mark Coulshed at DTLR. The manuscript note for the 31 July meeting
suggests that David Rowlands, Martin Wheatley , Shriti Vadera,
Andrew Adonis (No 10) and Brian Hackland were all in attendance.
It is likely that others were also there—the reference to
"DTLR" in the list of attendees on the note may refer
to other DTLR staff who attended.
8. We have not been able to identify a written record
of feedback from the joint working group meeting on 16 July being
provided to Ministers in DTLR. On 30 July 2001, David Rowlands
provided the Secretary of State with a submission and note on
the work done to date by the joint working group, noting that
final output from the group would be put to him for agreement
shortly. This submission is attached as flag E.[161]
The final output of the joint working group was the 3 August report
to the Prime Minister from the SoS and the covering note prepared
by No 10, attached at flag 6 to my letter of 7 November.
9. We have unfortunately not been able to identify
the 'background material' mentioned in the cover note for the
briefing pack on Railtrack issues for the 14 November Transport
Committee hearing.
10. We have also been unable to identify a revised
version of briefing note L or the note on bondholders referred
to.
11. The Department understands that officials in
No 10 first proposed a joint working group to review options for
Railtrack in an internal No 10 minute dated 27 June. We have not
been able to identify any record of discussions between the Department
and No 10 about such a review on or prior to that date, although
as noted above, Brian Hackland from No. 10 attended the meeting
with the SoS on 20 June at which joint working between DTLR and
HMT was first proposed. The idea of a review, subject to the approval
of the PM, was developed further in No 10 in the days immediately
following this and there appears to have been some informal discussions
with the Department during this time as a joint DTLR/HMT/No 10
group was referred to in the SoS' minute to the PM of 29 June.
I hope this information is helpful.
23 November 2005
157 Not printed (see list of unpublished memoranda). Back
158
Not printed (see list of unpublished memoranda). Back
159
Not printed (see list of unpublished memoranda). Back
160
Not printed (see list of unpublished memoranda). Back
161
Not printed (see list of unpublished memoranda). Back
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