Clause 4 - Arrangements for discharge of transport functions
Transport (Wales) Bill
12:00 pm
Nick Ainger (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Secretary of State for Wales; Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Labour)
Amendment No. 4 would place an explicit requirement on the Assembly to fund any costs arising from the issuing of a direction that local authorities should work together to carry out specified transport functions.
I am not convinced that the amendment is necessary. Welsh local authorities already collaborate on some transport projects through voluntary regional consortiums, and clause 4 will enable them to put that regional collaboration on a statutory basis. The Assembly already makes funding available to local authorities so that they can meet their transport responsibilities. Given that they are already working together, it is not entirely clear that extra funding would be required as the result of a direction under the clause.
The clause does not give the Assembly the power to impose new transport functions on local authorities; it merely allows local authorities to discharge their existing functions jointly. Indeed, under the policy set out in the framework of the Assembly’s partnership agreement with local authorities, the Assembly will not give authorities any new functions without providing funding for them.
In any event, the Assembly would issue a direction under the clause only after consulting the local authorities affected by the direction. That would give authorities an opportunity to discuss any of the proposed direction’s funding implications. Given that explanation, I again ask the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the amendment.