Schedule 8 - Regulation of the use of roads and railways

Part of Deregulation Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 9:15 am on 11 March 2014.

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Photo of Chi Onwurah Chi Onwurah Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office) 9:15, 11 March 2014

I thank my hon. Friend for that. He exactly sums up the Government’s approach. His point is particularly important when we are seeking to increase economic output, which relies on the contribution of those with disabilities. In the context of our amendment, as we live longer, more and more of us will be living with some kind of disability. Therefore it is essential to adapt the public transport system and ensure that it fits the needs of disabled people. The Government seem unable to recognise that. I look forward to hearing the Minister address that point.

This is another clause which makes life easier for Ministers but does not give very much benefit to British citizens. We do not object to the clause in principle, but we seek some reassurance that the Secretary of State’s power to issue exemptions is not undermined or eroded. Amendment 12 is a probing amendment to draw the Minister on this point. It would remove part 6 of schedule 8 entirely, effectively reversing the deletion of section 183 of the 2010 Act. Why does the Minister think it necessary to delete that section? What reassurance can he give that removing this wording will not affect the Secretary of State’s power to add tough conditions to any exemption orders? If the Minister can reassure me on these matters I will not press amendment 12.

Amendment 11 requires the Secretary of State to produce a report detailing the nature of any exemptions issued, including the conditions or restrictions made as part of that order, and to publicise them. Currently, there are no requirements to publish any details when exemptions are issued. Only the statutory instrument is published. I am sure that Members will agree that statutory instruments are not particularly accessible  documents. An annual report is published online, but it is not easily identifiable on the Government’s website. We have already seen that there are challenges particularly for disabled people in using some of the Government’s websites.

How will the shift from statutory instruments to an administrative regime make the documents more accessible and the process more open for a wider range of UK citizens? I do not say that they will not be, but I seek some reassurance from the Minister that this has been considered. Given the Government’s record with disabled people, I am not convinced that they have thought through the potential impact of this part of the schedule. In 2005 Labour updated the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to make it unlawful to discriminate against disabled people using public transport or transport facilities. We introduced minimum accessibility standards for all new carriages and light rail. We introduced a requirement for rail operators to develop a disabled person’s protection policy. So we are proud of our record in government.

We support removing unnecessary regulation on businesses and individuals, but the proposal seems to be more about making life easier for Ministers, potentially at the expense of disabled people. So we support legislation that protects the vulnerable from Government and from big business. Labour has put accessibility and social inclusion at the heart of our transport agenda, and amendment 11 is designed to bring some transparency and openness to the process of exemption orders. I intend to press the amendment to a vote.