PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE Wednesday 20 July 2005 Members present: Mr David Clelland Mr John Leech Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson Mr Eric Martlew Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody Mr Lee Scott Clive Efford Mr Graham Stringer Mr Robert Goodwill Mr David Wilshire Members disclosed their pecuniary interests pursuant to the resolution of the House of 13 July 1992. Details of the declarations are published in a separate Annex. Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody was called to the Chair. Ordered, That members of the public be admitted during the examination of witnesses unless the Committee otherwise orders. Draft Special Report [Government Response to Sixth Report of the Committee, Session 2004-05: The Performance of London Underground], proposed by the Chairman, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. Resolved, That the Report be the First Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Special Report to the House. Ordered, That the Government’s response to the Sixth Report from the Committee, Session 2004-05, be appended to the Report.—(The Chairman.) Another draft Special Report [Government Response to Fourth Report of the Committee, Session 2004-05: The Departmental Annual Report 2004], proposed by the Chairman, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. Resolved, That the Report be the Second Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Special Report to the House. Ordered, That the Government’s response to the Fourth Report from the Committee, Session 2004-05, be appended to the Report.—(The Chairman.) The Committee’s programme of work (choice of inquiries). The Committee considered this matter. Resolved, That the Committee inquire into Going for Gold: Delivering Excellent Transport for London’s 2012 Olympic Games; Financial Protection for Air Travellers; Parking Policy; and Train Fares and Ticketing. [Adjourned till Wednesday 12 October at half-past Two o'clock. PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE Wednesday 12 October 2005 Members present: Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody, in the Chair Mr David Clelland Mr Robert Goodwill Mr Jeffery M. Donaldson Mr Lee Scott Clive Efford Mr David Wilshire Draft Special Report [Government Response to Tenth Report of the Committee, Session 2004-05: Integrated Transport: the Future of Light Rail and Modern Trams in the United Kingdom], proposed by the Chairman, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. Resolved, That the Report be the Third Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Special Report to the House. Ordered, That the Government’s response to the Tenth Report from the Committee, Session 2004-05, be appended to the Report.—(The Chairman.) The Committee’s programme of work (choice of inquiries). The Committee considered this matter. Resolved, That permission to allow publication of submissions to the Committee prior to publication of a report be refused. Ordered, That Mr Vassilios M. Vavakos, Mr William James Tyson and Mr Drummond Robson be appointed as Specialist Advisers, to assist the Committee in its inquiry into Going for Gold: Delivering Excellent Transport for London’s 2012 Olympic Games.—(The Chairman.) Resolved, That the Committee inquire into The Departmental Annual Report 2005; Transport Security; and The Work of the Civil Aviation Authority. The Committee agreed the to the publication of press notices for the above inquiries. [Adjourned till Wednesday 19 October at Ten o’clock. _______________ PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE Wednesday 19 October 2005 Members present: Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody, in the Chair Mr David Clelland Mr Eric Martlew Clive Efford Mr Lee Scott Mrs Louise Ellman Mr Graham Stringer Mr Robert Goodwill Mr David Wilshire Mr John Leech Draft Special Report [Government Response to eighth Report of the Committee, Session 2004-05: Search and Rescue], proposed by the Chairman, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. Resolved, That the Report be the Fourth Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Special Report to the House. Ordered, That the Government’s response to the Eighth Report from the Committee, Session 2004-05, be appended to the Report.—(The Chairman.) Draft Special Report [Government Response to Fifth Report of the Committee, Session 2004-05: Rural Railways], proposed by the Chairman, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. Resolved, That the Report be the Fifth Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Special Report to the House. Ordered, That the Government’s response to the Fifth Report from the Committee, Session 2004-05, be appended to the Report.—(The Chairman.) The Chairman received the following letter from Rt Hon. Stephen Byers MP dated 17 October 2005: With the permission of the Speaker I intend, later today, to make a personal statement to the House. It will concern the evidence I gave before your Select Committee at its hearing on 14 November 2001. In my statement I will say that due to an inadvertent error I gave factually incorrect evidence to the Select Committee. My reason for writing to you is to offer my sincere personal apologies to you as Chair of the Select Committee for the giving of factually inaccurate evidence to you Committee and to say that I deeply regret that this happened. The Committee’s programme of work (choice of inquiries). The Committee considered this matter. Ordered, That Mr Christopher Tarry, Professor John Raine, Professor John Preston, and Professor Paul Wilkinson be appointed as Specialist Advisers, to assist the Committee in its inquiries into The Work of the Civil Aviation Authority, Parking Policy, Train Fares and Ticketing, and Transport Security respectively subject to interview by the Chairman and Clerk.—(The Chairman.) Going for Gold: Delivering Excellent Transport for London’s 2012 Olympic Games: Mr Owen Whalley, Service Head, Major Project Development, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Mr Neil Bullen, Manager, Transport Planning, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Ms Jane Mandlik, Highways Manager West, London Borough of Greenwich, Mr John Herman, Head of Regeneration and Infrastructure, London Borough of Newham, Mr Andrew Cunningham, Head of Streetscene, London Borough of Hackney, Mr Miles Butler, Director, Dorset County Council, and Mr Stephen Joseph, Deputy Chief Executive, Thames Gateway London Partnership, gave oral evidence. Mr Paul Plummer, Director of Planning and Regeneration, and Ms Janet Goodland, Director of Network Development, Network Rail, Mr Rob Holden, Executive Chairman, London and Continental Railways Ltd., Mr Theo Steel, Project Director, One Railway, and Mr Paul Smith, Director, London Support, Association of Train Operating Companies Ltd., gave oral evidence. Mr William Bee, Director for Wales, and Ms Natalie Salmon, Head of Access to Services and Transport, Disability Rights Commission, Mr Neil Betteridge, Chairman and Mr Graham Lawson, Chair, Personal Mobility and Local Authority Working Group, Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, Mr Brian Cook, Chairman and Mr Tony Shields, London Transport Users Committee, gave oral evidence. [Adjourned till Wednesday 26 October at Ten o’clock. _______________ PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE Wednesday 26 October 2005 Members present: Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody, in the Chair Mr David Clelland Mr John Leech Mrs Louise Ellman Mr Lee Scott Mr Robert Goodwill Mr Graham Stringer Draft Special Report [Government Response to Second Report of the Committee, Session 2004-05: Tonnage Tax], proposed by the Chairman, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. Resolved, That the Report be the Sixth Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Special Report to the House. Ordered, That the Government’s response to the Second Report from the Committee, Session 2004-05, be appended to the Report.—(The Chairman.) Resolved, That the Committee do visit the Stratford Olympic sites in connection with its inquiry into Going for Gold: Delivering Excellent Transport for London’s 2012 Olympic Games. —(The Chairman.) Going for Gold: Delivering Excellent Transport for London’s 2012 Olympic Games: Mr Jim Sloman, former Chief Operating Officer, Sydney Olympic Games, gave oral evidence. Mr Tim O’Toole, Managing Director, London Underground, and Mr Hugh Sumner, Director of Olympic Transport, Transport for London, gave oral evidence. Mr Keith Mills, Deputy Chairman, and Mr Wilben Short, Senior Transport Adviser, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, gave oral evidence. [Adjourned till Wednesday 2 November at half-past Two o’clock. _______________ PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE Wednesday 2 November 2005 Members present: Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody, in the Chair Mr David Clelland Mr John Leech Mr Jeffery M. Donaldson Mr Eric Martlew Clive Efford Mr Lee Scott Mrs Louise Ellman Mr Graham Stringer Mr Robert Goodwill Mr David Wilshire Draft Special Report [Government and the Civil Aviation Authority Responses to the Fifteenth Report of the Committee, Session 2003-04: Financial Protection for Air Travellers], proposed by the Chairman, brought up, read the first and second time, and agreed to. Resolved, That the Report be the Seventh Special Report of the Committee to the House. Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Special Report to the House. Ordered, That the Government and Civil Aviation Authority responses to the Fifteenth Report from the Committee, Session 2003-04, be appended to the Report.— (The Chairman.) Financial Protection for Air Travellers – follow up: Ms Karen Buck MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, and Ms Sandra Webber, Head of Aviation, Civil Aviation Authority and Consumers Division, Department for Transport, Sir Roy McNulty, Chairman, and Mr Richard Jackson, Director of Consumer Protection, Civil Aviation Authority, gave oral evidence. Transport Security: Rt Hon. Alistair Darling MP, Secretary of State for Transport, Ms Niki Tompkinson, Director of Transport Security, and Mr John Grubb, Director of Maritime and Land Transport Security, Department for Transport, gave oral evidence.