Section 73: The Public Transport Users’ Committee for England
196.This section inserts three new sections into the TA 1985. The new provisions are inserted after section 125 of that Act, which already provides for the establishment of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.
197.New section 125A empowers the Secretary of State by order to establish a body to be known as the Public Transport Users’ Committee for England. Section 125A(3) provides that the order may make provision about the status and membership of the Committee and prescribe other details about its proceedings and conduct of business.
198.New section 125B sets out the functions of the Committee. In particular it provides that the Committee may consider and make recommendations or representations to the Secretary of State about any matter relating to such public passenger transport services or facilities in England as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State. This will enable the Secretary of State to determine the scope of the powers of the Committee by prescribing the services and facilities, or the description of services and facilities, in relation to which the Committee is to exercise its functions.
199.If, under new section 125B(3), the Secretary of State has conferred powers on the Committee to make recommendations or representations to certain people or bodies, such as bus operators, local authorities, and traffic commissioners, new section 125C would enable the Secretary of State, by order, to confer functions on those persons in respect of such recommendations or representations. The power could, for example, be used to provide that where the Committee makes representations to a particular person, that person must consider those representations and send a written response to the Committee.
200.Orders made under these new sections are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure. Following the close of the consultation on strengthening bus passenger representation, the Secretary of State announced on 8 April 2008 that, subject to further consultation, the remit of the Rail Passengers’ Council (Passenger Focus) would be widened to take on the role of the bus passenger representative body. Therefore there are no immediate plans to establish a Public Transport Users’ Committee for England.
