Viscount John Thurso (Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland (And Transport), Scotland; Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross, Liberal Democrat)

I beg to move amendment No. 118, in

page 12, line 22, at end add—

'(4A) Such guidance shall reflect the need to ensure that a traffic director improves the level of safety on the roads for which he becomes responsible'.

Viscount John Thurso (Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland (And Transport), Scotland; Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross, Liberal Democrat)

I shall not detain the Committee for long on the amendment, which reflects a debate we have had several times over on the need to consider safety at various levels. I am not sure I want to add anything to the debate, and I am fairly sure that the Minister has nothing to add. I see that the hon. Member for Milton Keynes, North-East is nodding in agreement with that.

Mr Tony McNulty (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Harrow East, Labour)

In this guidance, as in other guidance elsewhere in the Bill, all the elements, including local transport, regional transport, safety and environment, are germane to any powers afforded to the traffic director, as they are to the traffic manager, as they underpin the network management duty. I urge the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the amendment.

Viscount John Thurso (Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland (And Transport), Scotland; Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross, Liberal Democrat)

I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Motion made, and Question put, That the clause stand part of the Bill:—

The Committee divided: Ayes 7, Noes 4.