Clause 22

Part of Local Transport Bill [ Lords ] – in a Public Bill Committee at 5:30 pm on 29 April 2008.

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Photo of Norman Baker Norman Baker Shadow Secretary of State for Transport 5:30, 29 April 2008

I raised that point in response because it is important. The Minister puts a lot of stress and weight on what the approvals board will do. As we continue in Committee, it seems that more and more will rest on its shoulders.

The success or otherwise of what the Government want to do will be determined by how the approvals board is asked to work and works. If the Minister is right, the board will clearly provide a bulwark and a way to facilitate and reinforce transport authorities. If those of us who have concerns are right, it will act as a blockage; it will be an unhelpful part of the process. Either way, when we are putting so much stress on the approvals board, it is difficult not having the draft guidance. It is disappointing because the Bill has been through the other place and it is now most of its way through the Commons.

The Minister did not deal with a point that I made in my opening remarks, which was that not only would none of the persons on the approvals board be elected—we have been around that subject already—but none of them might even have relevant bus experience or use a bus. I am sure that it was not her intention, but a transport planner could be someone who sits and designs the trunk road network. Someone specialising in transport economics could be a person who carries out a cost-benefit analysis of the rail network. There is no guarantee that the persons appointed will have the necessary knowledge of, or sympathy with, what the ITA is trying to do.

I am sure that the Minister intends to appoint people with relevant expertise and who would facilitate the passage of the legislation, but let us suppose that a future Government, perhaps of a different complexion, were unsympathetic to the idea of quality contracts and wanted to thwart them or see them wither on the vine. I do not want to give them ideas, but it would be easy to put people on the approvals board who would not facilitate what local authorities wanted, but who received different guidance from the Secretary of State.