House of Commons Transport Committee Formal Minutes Session 2015–16 The Transport Committee The Transport Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies. Current membership Mrs Louise Ellman (Labour/Co-operative, Liverpool Riverside) (Chair) Robert Flello (Labour, Stoke-on-Trent South) Mary Glindon (Labour, North Tyneside) Karl McCartney (Conservative, Lincoln) Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party, Glasgow South) Mark Menzies (Conservative, Fylde) Huw Merriman (Conservative, Bexhill and Battle) Will Quince (Conservative, Colchester) Iain Stewart (Conservative, Milton Keynes South) Graham Stringer (Labour, Blackley and Broughton) Martin Vickers (Conservative, Cleethorpes) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published on the Committee’s website at www.parliament.uk/transcom and in print by Order of the House. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Gordon Clarke (Clerk), Gail Bartlett (Second Clerk), James Clarke (Committee Specialist), Andrew Haylen (Committee Specialist), Daniel Moeller (Senior Committee Assistant), Michelle Owens (Committee Assistant) and Estelle Currie (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Transport Committee, House of Commons, 14 Tothill Street, London SW1H (NB. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6263; the Committee’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Proceedings of the Committee Monday 13 July 2015 Members present: Mrs Louise Ellman, in the Chair Robert Flello Will Quince Mary Glindon Iain Stewart Stewart M McDonald Graham Stringer Huw Merriman Martin Vickers 1. Mrs Louise Ellman takes the Chair 2. Declaration of interests Ordered, That Members interests be published on the internet. 3. Ways of working Ordered, That the Committee will meet on Mondays at 4pm. Ordered, That the Committee will not normally investigate individual cases. Ordered, That the Committee will generally take oral evidence in public. Ordered, That witnesses should be permitted to publish written evidence to the Committee on their own initiative. Ordered, That the Clerk should be permitted to brief witnesses on likely topics of interest to the Committee in advance of oral evidence sessions. Ordered, That the Committee may appoint specialist advisers to supply information which is not readily available or to clarify complex subjects. Ordered, That, in order to ensure that Committee business is discharged efficiently, the Chair shall:— draft the agenda for committee meetings; handle correspondence on Committee matters which is not sufficiently significant to require approval by the Committee; arrange informal meetings in Westminster on matters relating to the Committee’s remit; amend the timing of committee meetings, where necessary; authorise the issuing of press notices about forthcoming evidence sessions, new inquiries and reports; decide which parliamentary proceedings Committee reports should be tagged to for debate in the House; take consequential decisions on matters already agreed by the Committee. 4. Future programme The Committee discussed this matter. [Adjourned till Monday 20 July at 4 pm Monday 20 July 2015 Members present: Mrs Louise Ellman, in the Chair Robert Flello Huw Merriman Mary Glindon Will Quince Karl McCartney Iain Stewart Stewart M McDonald Graham Stringer Mark Menzies Martin Vickers 1) Investing in the railway Draft Special Report (Investing in railway: Network Rail Response to the Committee’s Seventh Report of Session 2014-15), proposed by the Chair, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. The Government response to the Seventh Report of Session 2014-15 was appended to the Report. Resolved, That the Report be the First Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House. 2) Motoring of the future Draft Special Report (Motoring of the future: Government Response to the Committee’s Eighth Report of Session 2014-15), proposed by the Chair, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. The Government response to the Eighth Report of Session 2014-15 was appended to the Report. Resolved, That the Report be the Second Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House. 3) Smaller airports Draft Special Report (Smaller airports: Government Response to the Committee’s Ninth Report of Session 2014-15), proposed by the Chair, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. The Government response to the Ninth Report of Session 2014-15 was appended to the Report. Resolved, That the Report be the Third Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House. 4) Strategic river crossings Draft Special Report (Strategic river crossings: Government Response to the Committee’s Tenth Report of Session 2014-15), proposed by the Chair, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. The Government response to the Tenth Report of Session 2014-15 was appended to the Report. Resolved, That the Report be the Fourth Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House. 5) Future programme: autumn 2015 The Committee considered this matter. 6) Department for Transport and rail policy Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State and Philip Rutnam, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport, gave oral evidence. [Adjourned till Monday 7 September at 4pm Monday 7 September Members present: Mrs Louise Ellman, in the Chair Robert Flello Will Quince Mary Glindon Iain Stewart Stewart M McDonald Graham Stringer Mark Menzies Martin Vickers 1) Surface transport at airports Resolved, That the Committee inquire into Surface transport at airports. 2) Road traffic law enforcement Resolved, That the Committee inquire into Road traffic law enforcement. 3) Skills and workforce planning in the road haulage sector Resolved, That the Committee inquire into Skills and workforce planning in the road haulage sector. 4) Invitation to an inter-parliamentary committee meeting on the Trans- European transport network (TEN-T) Ordered, That Mr Iain Stewart and Mr Robert Flello have leave to visit Riga in June to attend the Trans-European transport network conference, and that the Chair seek the approval of the Chair of the Liaison Committee for expenditure in connection with the visit. 5) Future programme: oral evidence for 12 October The committee discussed this matter. 6) Maritime policy and Coastguard security Robert Goodwill MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport, Sir Alan Massey, Chief Executive, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and Ian Woodman, Director, Maritime Directorate, Department for Transport on maritime policy and coastguard modernisation, gave oral evidence. [Adjourned till Monday 12 October at 4pm Monday 12 October Members present: Mrs Louise Ellman, in the Chair Robert Flello Huw Merriman Mary Glindon Will Quince Karl McCartney Iain Stewart Stewart M McDonald Martin Vickers Mark Menzies 1) Road haulage sector: Skills and workforce planning: written evidence Ordered, That the following written evidence relating to Road haulage sector: Skills and workforce planning be reported to the House for publication on the internet: Paul Wixey (RHS0001). 2) Road traffic law enforcement: written evidence Ordered, That the following written evidence relating to road traffic law enforcement be reported to the House for publication on the internet: D. Tec International Ltd. (RTL0001); Drivers’ Union (RTL0002); Mr David Harris (RTL0003); RAC (RTL0005); Mr Richard Mann (RTL0007). 3) Midland Mainline and TransPennine upgrade: written evidence Ordered, That the following written evidence related to the Midland Mainline and TransPennine upgrade be reported to the House for publication on the internet: Letter from Patrick McLoughlin MP to Louise Ellman MP regarding the Midland Mainline and TransPennine upgrade dated 30 September 2015. 4) Buses Bill: written evidence Ordered, That the following written evidence related to the Buses Bill be reported to the House for publication on the internet: Correspondence between Andrew Jones MP and Louise Ellman MP regarding the Buses Bill dated the 3 September and 2 October 2015. 5) Vehicle emissions: written evidence Ordered, That the following written evidence related to vehicle emissions be reported to the House for publication on the internet: Correspondence between Louise Ellman MP and Patrick McLoughlin MP regarding vehicle emissions dated 25 September and 9 October 2015. 6) Volkswagen emissions violations Paul Willis, Managing Director, Volkswagen Group UK Mike Hawes, Chief Executive, SMMT, Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State, Department for Transport, Paul Higgs, Chief Executive, Vehicle Certification Agency, Michael Hurwitz, Director of the Energy, Technology and International Directorate, Department for Transport, Ian Yarnold, International Vehicle Standards, Department for Transport, gave oral evidence. [Adjourned till Wednesday 14 October at 9am Wednesday 14 October Members present: Mrs Louise Ellman, in the Chair Robert Flello Huw Merriman Mary Glindon Will Quince Karl McCartney