Local Transport Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 1: 1: Clause 3, page 5, line 26, at end insert— ““( ) such organisations representative of the interests of local government, of London government, of Integrated Transport Authorities and of Passenger Transport Executives as the senior traffic commissioner thinks fit;”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, Clause 3 inserts new Section 4C into the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981, allowing the new statutory senior traffic commissioner, as would be appointed under new Section 4A of that Act, to issue directions and general guidance to the other traffic commissioners on the exercise of their functions. New Section 4C(4) of the 1981 Act imposes a statutory obligation on the senior traffic commissioner to consult a range of bodies—including the Secretary of State, Scottish and Welsh Ministers—before issuing directions and guidance under new Section 4C(1). New Section 4C(4)(e) obliges the senior traffic commissioner to consult such organisations representative of the passenger vehicles and haulage operators as he thinks fit. This provides some discretion as to which particular organisations should be consulted on a case-by-case basis. During Grand Committee debate on 6 December, the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, tabled an amendment to include representatives of local transport authorities among the named bodies that the senior traffic commissioner must consult as he sees fit under new Section 4C(4)(e). The Government agreed to consider this amendment. While we believe that consulting such bodies is already possible under the existing wording at the very end of subsection (4), we accept there may be value to including representatives of local transport authorities among the list of named bodies. In particular, it would provide further useful clarification on the general purpose of consultation under this section and require the senior traffic commissioner to consider on a case-by-case basis which particular organisations it might be appropriate to consult. However, in tabling this amendment, we believe it is important that we should not suggest consultation with a particular level of local government. The senior traffic commissioner will continue to exercise discretion in individual cases. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, for his helpful amendment. It has usefully made us think again about this matter, and I hope it deals satisfactorily with the points that he and other noble Lords raised in Committee. For those reasons, I beg to move.