Transport Act 2000

207 Manner of exercise of functions

(1) The Authority shall exercise its functions with a view to furthering its purposes and shall do so in accordance with any such strategies as it has formulated with respect to them (except when exercising the function of reviewing those strategies).

(2) In exercising its functions in accordance with subsection (1) the Authority shall act in the way best calculated—

(a) to protect the interests of users of railway services,

(b) to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development,

(c) to promote efficiency and economy on the part of persons providing railway services,

(d) to promote measures designed to facilitate the making by passengers of journeys which involve the use of the services of more than one passenger service operator (including, in particular, arrangements for the issue and use of through tickets),

(e) to impose on the operators of railway services the minimum restrictions which are consistent with the performance of the Authority’s functions, and

(f) to enable persons providing railway services to plan the future of their businesses with a reasonable degree of assurance.

(3) In exercising its functions in accordance with subsections (1) and (2) the Authority shall have regard to—

(a) the need to protect all persons from dangers arising from the operation of railways (including, in particular, by taking into account any advice given by the Health and Safety Executive),

(b) the interests of persons who are disabled, and

(c) the effect on the environment of activities connected with the provision of railway services.

(4) The Authority shall secure that any grants or other payments or loans made by it, any guarantees given by it and any investment in bodies corporate by it are such as it reasonably considers will further its purposes (in accordance with any strategies which it has formulated) efficiently and economically.

(5) Subject to subsection (4), the Secretary of State may give the Authority—

(a) directions and guidance as to the manner in which it is to exercise any of its functions in order to comply with subsections (1) to (3), and

(b) directions not to exercise any of its functions in a particular manner (or not to do so without consulting, or obtaining the consent of, the Secretary of State).