Clause 38 - Interpretation of Part 3
Traffic Management Bill
5:45 pm
Mr Tony McNulty (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Harrow East, Labour)
I am tempted to be flippant and say, ''You say potayto, I say po-ta-to,'' when it comes to the negative and affirmative procedures. The hon. Gentleman would have a point if the regulations had been drawn up in a little room under a cupboard at the Department for Transport that no one knew of until people came blinking into the sunlight once they were done and dumped them in the Vote Office. If someone observed the regulations on an Order Paper they might pray against them and notice that they were fairly substantial.
The regulations will arrive in the following context, however. We have established a working party to consider their formal content and the accompanying guidance document on a permanent scheme. We will be consulting widely on both documents with local authorities, utilities and other organisations that might be affected by, or have sufficient interest in, the new arrangements. Following consultation, we will revise the documents as necessary before they are laid before Parliament under the negative procedure, against which anyone can pray so that we might have the debate that the hon. Gentleman wants. I would hope
that after all that consultation there will be nothing but acclaim for the negative order, and that the authorities, the utilities and everyone else will simply be able to get on with their business.
If the regulations had dropped from the sky or had come from the DFT with no consultation or wider input, I might have had some sympathy and have gone for an affirmative resolution, but potayto, po-ta-to, tomayto, to-ma-to—I say negative, you say positive. I hope that with the indulgence of my colleagues it will be negatived. I want a proper consultation process to ensure that the end product is all the richer. I ask the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the amendment, allow the clause to stand part of the Bill and go home.