Clause 29
Local Transport Bill [Lords]
11:30 am
Rosie Winterton (Minister of State, Department for Transport; Doncaster Central, Labour)
The 10-year time period provides a good opportunity to review the scheme itself and, if an authority had decided to let a contract for the full 10 years, to say what would be the new parts of a new tendering process. Running the two together would not necessarily bring instability but could provide a good opportunity to look at how the scheme is operating, to see whether it had delivered and whether there should be different specifications in a new tender process. The two might fall quite well together.
With regard to EU regulations, I understand that the Community regulation to which my hon. Friend refers recognises the difference between, for example, a design, build and operate system for a light rail system compared with a bus contract. There is a period of 15 years for rail contracts and 10 years for bus contracts. Community regulation does specify difference in the maximum.
I have listened to the points made by my hon. Friend but it is still within the local authority’s ability to vary either of the two periods if it wishes to do so. There is a maximum when an authority would be required to review the success of the scheme. If there were no major changes to the way the scheme was to be run it could go ahead without having to go an approvals board. I hope that reassures my hon. Friend.