Schedule - Local transport plans
Transport (Wales) Bill
11:45 am
Nick Ainger (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Secretary of State for Wales; Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Labour)
Amendment No. 15 would require local authorities to take their existing commitments into consideration when preparing their local transport plans, which is a perfectly reasonable suggestion. However, I cannot envisage a situation in which local authorities would develop policies without being aware of their existing commitments, although that should not be the main driver when developing local authority transport strategies.
The plans will evolve over time to take account of external factors and the changing needs of Welsh communities and businesses. They should not be restricted by current commitments, which will also develop and evolve in line with the strategy. There is no need for the statutory provision to include them, and it would send the wrong message to local authorities.
Amendment No. 16 is intended to ensure that local authorities cannot simply publish their local transport plans on the internet, but must make hard copies available for inspection. I totally agree with the thrust of the hon. Gentleman’s argument. In the past, hon. Members on both sides of the Committee have expressed reservations about the development in certain areas of the mentality that says, “Oh, it’s on the website,” rather than producing hard copies that are widely available.
Although I support the intention behind the amendment, the amendment is not needed. The clause has been drafted using standard legal phraseology similar to that used in the legislation for traffic orders and development plans. The requirement in the Bill makes copies available for inspection at certain places, and that precludes publication only on the internet. If that situation arose, the local authority would be in breach of its duty.
I hope that, in light of my comments, the hon. Gentleman will withdraw his amendment.