eSAFETY COMMUNICATION (12383/05, 15932/06)
Letter from Stephen Ladyman MP, Minister
of State for Transport, Department for Transport to the Chairman
On 14 September the European Commission adopted
the 2nd eSafety Communication, Bringing eCall to Citizens (COM
(2005) 431 final). The Communication summarised the background
to and rationale for Community Action to support and facilitate
"the urgent and practical actions needed to roll-out eCall,
the Pan-European in-vehicle emergency call", and set out
European Commission actions.
Our Explanatory Memorandum (EM12383/05), dated
10 October 2005, set out the Government's view on the issue, i.e.
that we should not sign the associated Memorandum of Understanding
until we had undertaken our own review of the business case and
the implications any subsequent deployment might have within the
UK. As a result this EM was not cleared by your Committee, and
sight of the outcome of the intended research was requested.
This research has taken longer than we initially
expected, in order to ensure the widest coverage of stakeholder
views, but the researchers have now reported and the results are
being assessed. Their findings will help shape any final recommendations
for action. Early in the New Year we will provide the Committee
with a full report on the outcome of the review, and outline any
further action that we will be taking.
19 December 2006
Letter from the Chairman to Stephen Ladyman
MP
Sub-Committee B considered this document (15932/06),
and your Explanatory Memorandum, at its meeting on 22 January
2007.
As we have noted on the first two eSafety Communications,
we fully support the underlying objective of reducing road fatalities
through the better use of eSafety technology and systems. We understand
your desire to evaluate more fully the merits of each of the initiatives
contained in "The 3rd eSafety Communication" in the
context of other schemes already operational.
We look forward to receiving the results of
your analysis in the form of an update to the Committee, together
with the partial Regulatory Impact Assessment, when they are both
available.
We will maintain scrutiny on the document at
this stage.
25 January 2007
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