Transport (Wales) Bill

The noble Lord, Lord Bradshaw, has put forward some very interesting ideas that cast a new light, as far as I am concerned, on this whole idea of a traffic commissioner for Wales. Those who said that at one stage we had a traffic commissioner for Wales are absolutely right. I remember the review of 1991, which reduced the number of traffic areas from 11 to eight. There was another review in 1995 that reduced the number to six. Wales always ended up with the West Midlands, centred on Birmingham. As I understand it, an all-Wales traffic area was created on 29 April 1999. That meant the transfer of some 2,000 north Wales operators from the north-west to the new Welsh traffic area. Again, the post of traffic commissioner remained a joint post with the West Midlands. The idea that there should be a single, separate Welsh traffic commissioner needs further justification because, as I understand it, the two areas currently covered from Birmingham have the smallest number of operators in the United Kingdom. That needs to be justified. This is where the suggestion of the noble Lord, Lord Bradshaw, to change the status of bus operations is so important. I think that we know the line the Government will pursue in answer to the amendments. Nevertheless, we should consider the matter again in due course.