Local Transport Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 72: 72: Clause 65, page 53, line 28, leave out ““section 125B”” and insert ““sections 125B and 125C”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, I shall also speak to Amendments Nos. 73 to 76. In Committee, amendments were tabled with the objective of obliging certain persons, such as bus operators, local authorities and traffic commissioners, to have regard to representations made by the Public Transport Users Committee. The aim was to strengthen the powers of the committee to ensure that certain parties would take proper notice of it. While we considered that the amendments as drafted were overly restrictive—not least because they would not have applied if the Secretary of State opted to give additional functions to the Rail Passengers’ Council—we agreed to consider the concept and examine whether it would be appropriate to legislate. We have done that and agree that there would be merit in strengthening the remit of the passenger representative body by placing, in certain circumstances, an obligation on certain persons or bodies to respond to the representations or recommendations of the committee. The powers we already propose to take through this Bill would enable the Secretary of State to confer powers on the passenger representative body to make recommendations or representations to certain people or bodies, such as bus operators, local authorities, and traffic commissioners. The government amendment would enable the Secretary of State, subject to approval by resolution in both Houses of Parliament, to make an order to confer functions on those people or bodies to place them under an obligation to respond in a particular way. What we have in mind is that if the passenger representative body makes representations to a bus operator about the way in which services are operated in a particular area, that operator would be under an obligation to consider those representations, and perhaps to send a written response to the user committee. The amendment as drafted would enable this to be done if we were to either set up a public transport users committee or add additional functions to Passenger Focus, the rail watchdog. One further change that I would like to mention specifically is our proposal in respect of the functions to be conferred on the Public Transport Users’ Committee under new Section 125B of the Transport Act 1985. These are to make recommendations to the Secretary of State either on any matters relating to public passenger transport services as the committee considers appropriate, or in response to a particular request by the Secretary of State. We believe that it would be appropriate to widen the power to enable the committee to make representations, as well as recommendations, to the Secretary of State on appropriate matters. We have tabled an amendment to include that point. I hope that the House will agree that these are sensible steps to ensure that any new statutory watchdog has sufficient influence. I beg to move. On Question, amendment agreed to.