Clause 8 - Regulations
Railways and Transport Safety Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Don Foster (Bath, Liberal Democrat)
I beg to move amendment No.2, in
clause 8, page 5, line 12, at end insert—
'(g) make provision for the occasions on which the Secretary of State may decide any incident to be investigated through a public inquiry.'.
The amendment may not detain the Committee long. We have already discussed the different bodies—the new RAIB, the British Transport police, insurance loss adjusters and the new rail standards and structures organisation—that may investigate a rail accident or incident. We have rightly debated the protocols between them and the primacy issue of who will take charge and have the highest authority in the investigations.
Clause 9 introduces another set of bodies potentially interested in an investigation, because the chief inspector of rail accidents may direct others involved in managing or controlling parts of the railway to carry out an industry investigation. When we reach that clause, I shall argue that it is right and proper for train operating companies—