Clause 17 - Arrangements for network management
Traffic Management Bill
2:30 pm
Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)
I am afraid that I do not buy the Minister's argument about efficiency. The only reference to that in clause 16 is in subsection (2)(a), which mentions
''the more efficient use of their road network''.
There is no mention of financial efficiency.
The Minister relies on the well-worn assurance that there is a general obligation and refers the Committee to the local traffic authority's other ''obligations, policies and objectives'' but there is no suggestion that efficiency should be included in that. If the Minister wants us to accept that we do not need to use the word ''efficiency'' because of that general statement, why do we need ''effectiveness''? If efficiency is carried by clause 16, surely so is effectiveness. If the Minister wants to single one of those out, he means by implication that the other does not matter.