Local Transport Bill [Lords]

My hon. Friend is right that those provisions are some of the many good aspects of the Bill. He is also right about the purpose of TUPE. Let me respond specifically to some of the amendments. Proposed amendment (a) to new clause 14 deals with the detailed workings of the QCS boards. It appears that it would do two things. First, it would place a further obligation on local transport authorities, to be fulfilled when they decide that they are ready to submit their proposals to the QCS board for consideration, to send to the board copies of documents that the authority sent out as part of the consultation or in response to it. Section 125 of the Transport Act 2000 already provides that the authority must publish notice of its proposed scheme at the outset of the consultation, and Government amendment No. 165 would provide that the notice must be copied to the senior traffic commissioner. That notice must describe the proposed scheme and state where a copy of it and the consultation document may be inspected. The purpose of having the notice copied to the senior traffic commissioner is that, when he designates the commissioner who is to chair the relevant QCS board, he can also ensure that that commissioner has access to the local authority's consultation materials. Amendment (a) also refers to documents that the local authority sends out during or after the end of the consultation period in reply to written responses from consultees. We consider that the local authority will have a clear interest in ensuring that the QCS board is aware of any such documents, as they are likely to be important in spelling out the local authority's case for proceeding with its proposed scheme. I am therefore not persuaded that we need to make explicit provision for that, but I would be happy to reflect on the matter further as I develop more detailed proposals for regulations and guidance that will support the quality contracts scheme provisions in the Bill. The second effect of amendment (a) to new clause 14 would be to insert another new requirement for local authorities. The amendment would mean that if, having consulted on its scheme and reflected on the consultation responses, the local authority wished to proceed with its proposed scheme, it must send a copy of the consultation document to the QCS board. Again, that is quite unnecessary, because the Government amendments already make provision for the consultation materials to be disseminated to the QCS board via the senior traffic commissioner. The Government amendments also include provisions requiring the authority to supply the board with information about all the responses that it has received and to ensure that the board has before it a copy of the final proposals for the scheme before it begins its deliberations. Our amendments therefore already provide for the board to have all the information that it needs.