Local Transport Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 65: 65: Clause 55, page 48, line 3, at end insert— ““( ) must, if the implementation of any of the measures in the report would affect the operation of bus services in an integrated transport area, send a copy of the report to the Integrated Transport Authority for that area;”” The noble Baroness said: My Lords, in moving Amendment No. 65 I shall speak also to Amendment No. 66. The two amendments pick up an amendment moved by my noble friend Lord Rosser in Committee. They concern the punctuality reports that traffic commissioners may prepare under the new Section 27A of the Transport Act 1985 that would be inserted by Clause 55 of the Bill. I am grateful to my noble friend for drawing our attention to the point. In the clause as drafted, traffic commissioners are required to send copies of a punctuality report recommending remedial measures to the operator and, where recommendations about such measures are for implementation by a local traffic authority, to that authority. However, there is no statutory requirement to send copies to the integrated transport authority, which may also have a strong interest in the remedial measures; for example, because the implementation of those measures might affect the operation of buses in their area. In the metropolitan areas, the integrated transport authority, rather than the local traffic authority, is responsible for developing and implementing local transport policies, and that authority would have an interest in ensuring that such recommendations were implemented effectively. The amendments will remedy the situation and create parity between the two tiers of authority in metropolitan areas. Outside the metropolitan areas, the issue does not arise because the same local authority is responsible for both transport and traffic. The first amendment will affect subsection (6) of the inserted section. It would make it obligatory for the traffic commissioner to send a copy of a report to an integrated transport authority where any remedial measures proposed would affect the operation of services in their area. The second amendment will affect subsection (7) of the inserted section and will add integrated transport authorities to the list of further persons to whom the traffic commissioner may send a copy of the report but is not obliged to. This would cover cases falling outside the scope of the first amendment; for example, because the report did not propose any remedial measures, or none within the authority’s own area, but could still be relevant to its transport planning role. There is a similar mention in subsection (7) of local traffic authorities, so once again the amendment would put both types of authority on the same footing. I beg to move.