EU - Transport Policy

Joint written evidence from Age UK, Guide Dogs, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Radar, RNIB, RNID, Scope & Sense (EU 10)

Overview

Our organisations, our Members and supporters, have spent the last few months working on the EU Bus and Coach Regulation. This draft Regulation recently completed its C onciliation proceedings and a compromise text will now be considered by the European Parliament in February. The Regulation will bring in imp ortant and welcome new rights of access and assistance fo r disabled people travelling in the UK and throughout the EU. In our submission we make a number of related recommendations for the Committee's forthcoming visit to Brussels in early February, as well as for when it questions UK Ministers.

Visit to Brussels

We would recommend that the Co mmittee meets with key MEPs who participated in the Conciliation negotiations on the Bus and Coach Regulation, namely Brian Simpson MEP, Chair of the Transport and Tourism Committee and Antonio Cancian MEP , Rapporteur for the Regulation , who played a key role in supporting greater rights for disabled people.

UK Ministers

The European Parliament is due to formally approve the Bus and Coach Regulation at its plenary meeting in February . The Council is also due to approve the text shortly . The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Norman Baker MP) has called the proposed joint text of the regulation "…a sensible compromise that best serves UK interests, and strikes a balance between rights for passengers and the economics of service provision."

In a House of Lords deba te on the Regulation (20 Jan 2011: Column 530), Earl Attlee said "My Lords, the UK Government intend to support the compromise agreement reached by the Conciliation Committee in respect of the EU regulation on bus and coach passenger rights when it is put to the Council for formal approval."

The UK 's position on the Regulation, prior to Conciliation, was less positive, notably in relation to provisions applying to all services, so the Minister's (and Earl Attlee's) statement and support for the compromise text is welcome. However, w e would urge the Committee to probe a few issues further:

1) Decisions on the use of the exemptions will be taken in due course, following consultation. Does the government have a view on whether it will use the 5 year exemption for drivers in relation to the provision introducing mandatory disability awareness training for personnel of carriers and terminal managing bodies dealing directly with the travelling public?

2) Ha s the Department for Transport considered how the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) Disability Equality and Awareness Training Framework for Transport Staff (published in June 2008) could contribute to implementation of training? What has the Department done to take forward this Framework?

3 ) If, as proposed in the Public Bodies Bill, the DPTAC is abolished , h ow will the Department for Transport ensure that Ministers and officials are advised on disa bility and accessibility issues?

4 ) What systems are in place to ensure that government transport policies and negotiating positions reflect the UK's new obligation s following the UK ratification of the United Nation s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Articles 9 and 21, relating to equal access to transport and equal access to information) ?

5 ) Why did the Department for Transport fail to carry out an equality impact assessment on the draft Regulation , given the major role that bus and coach travel play s in the lives of disabled people and persons with reduced mobility?

January 2011