Department for Transport
Department for Transport

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2010-03-02

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 9780215544216

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In 2003, the Government entered into three innovative 30 year contracts with private sector contractors to upgrade London's underground rail system. Four years later, in 2007, two of the three contractors (Metronet BCV and Metronet SSL, known collectively as Metronet) went into administration when they could no longer meet their spending obligations. The loss to the taxpayer arising from Metronet's poor financial control and inadequate corporate governance is some £170 million to £410 million. The Department's oversight and management of risk on the Metronet contracts were inadequate, especially given that it provided a £1 billion a year grant, was ultimately responsible for delivery and carried the majority of the risk of failure. These failings ignored a clear warning from the National Audit Office in 2004 that they should avoid taking a 'hands-off' approach to oversight. The Department undermined its assumption that lenders would exercise strong oversight by assuring them that it would meet 95 per cent of the outstanding debt in the event of failure. The public sector parties to the contract were unable to obtain the information they needed to oversee the contract effectively. A serious weakness in the arrangements was that the independent Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Arbiter was not invited to act at the earliest opportunity, rendering him largely ineffective. The Department must learn from its mistakes, have the right commercial skills in place and perform robust risk analysis when negotiating such contracts, to monitor the risks thereafter, and be prepared to intervene where necessary.

The Work of the Department for Transport's Agencies - Driver and Vehicle Operator Group and the Highways Agency
The Work of the Department for Transport's Agencies - Driver and Vehicle Operator Group and the Highways Agency

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-07-27

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 0215030303

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The Driver and Vehicle Operator (DVO) Group is part of the Department for Transport and is made up of four agencies: the Driving Standards Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). It was established in 2003 to promote closer collaboration between the agencies and to develop modernised co-ordinated services in order to deliver improved customer services and value for money. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport and is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the strategic road network in England. Issues considered in the Committee's report include how the agencies contribute to departmental objectives and policy, issues of accountability and transparency, agency funding and accounts, shared systems and co-ordination.

The performance of the Department for Transport
The performance of the Department for Transport

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2010-03-04

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 9780215544322

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In this report the Transport Committee calls on the Government to implement the vision for transport - including improved traffic flows on motorways, rail electrification and high speed rail, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport - that has been established under the current Secretary of State, Lord Adonis. The Department has made progress in a number of important areas, both recently and over the past decade, and has also established a new sense of direction, despite a too-frequent change of ministers. The Committee reviews progress against the Government's integrated transport plan, 'Transport 2010', which was adopted in 2000. Whilst much has been achieved, the ambition to build up to 25 light rail lines has not. It calls on the Government to publish a comprehensive progress report against the targets that it set itself. It also calls for strong action on local bus services which, outside London, are still not integrated with other local transport services. Bus use outside London continues to decline, apart from a slight increase after the introduction of free bus travel for older and disabled people. The Committee calls for full implementation of the Local Transport Act which gives local authorities powers to introduce bus quality partnerships and quality contracts; and for the Traffic Commissioners to be given adequate resources to carry out punctuality monitoring.

Financial scrutiny of the Department for Transport
Financial scrutiny of the Department for Transport

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011-01-11

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 9780215555847

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This report details a new approach to scrutinising the financial performance of the Department for Transport during the life of this parliament. The strategy rests on innovations agreed with the Department designed to make it easier for the Committee to compare information in the departmental annual review with that provided in the estimate of expenditure. These changes are to be welcomed as they will make it easier to hold the Government to account about the delivery of its transport policy pledges including those made in the recent comprehensive spending review. However, it is essential that in moving to a simplified structure for the annual estimate of expenditure, important detail about departmental spending is not hidden from public view. The Committee will be carefully monitoring the new arrangements to ensure that this is not the case

Emergency Response Guidebook
Emergency Response Guidebook

Author: U.S. Department of Transportation

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-06-03

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 1626363765

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Does the identification number 60 indicate a toxic substance or a flammable solid, in the molten state at an elevated temperature? Does the identification number 1035 indicate ethane or butane? What is the difference between natural gas transmission pipelines and natural gas distribution pipelines? If you came upon an overturned truck on the highway that was leaking, would you be able to identify if it was hazardous and know what steps to take? Questions like these and more are answered in the Emergency Response Guidebook. Learn how to identify symbols for and vehicles carrying toxic, flammable, explosive, radioactive, or otherwise harmful substances and how to respond once an incident involving those substances has been identified. Always be prepared in situations that are unfamiliar and dangerous and know how to rectify them. Keeping this guide around at all times will ensure that, if you were to come upon a transportation situation involving hazardous substances or dangerous goods, you will be able to help keep others and yourself out of danger. With color-coded pages for quick and easy reference, this is the official manual used by first responders in the United States and Canada for transportation incidents involving dangerous goods or hazardous materials.

The management of staff sickness absence in the Department for Transport and its agencies
The management of staff sickness absence in the Department for Transport and its agencies

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-06-08

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 0102945462

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Ministers have challenged all Departments to reduce their 2004 sickness rates by 30% by 2010. This report looks at the sickness levels in the Department of Transport and its seven executive agencies, which average 10.4 days sickness for each full-time employee (compared to a Civil Service average of 9.8 days). However the performance is varied. The central Department and four agencies have sickness levels at or below comparable organisations but three agencies have higher levels and the Driving Standards Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have absence rates of 13.1 and 14 day respectively. If there is going to be a significant change there needs to be action at the corporate and individual business level. Corporately there needs to be: targets for each part of the Department, tailored to circumstances; quality standards for recording sickness with the provision of management information; a consistent framework for evaluating initiatives and sharing good practice. At a business level more could be done to ensure that line managers were aware of their responsibilities and improve intervention in long-term cases.

Reducing costs in the Department for Transport
Reducing costs in the Department for Transport

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2012-03-13

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 9780215042927

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As part of the 2010 Spending Review the government announced a significant reduction in the budget of the Department for Transport, with spending due to be 15% lower by 2014-15, in real terms, than the Department's £12.8 billion budget in 2010-11. The Department prepared early, identifying areas for budget reductions based on good analysis. But for road users, railway passengers and taxpayers, there are many questions which remain unanswered. The Department doesn't fully understand the impact of its cuts to road maintenance. There is concern that short-term budget cutting could prove counter-productive, costing more in the long-term as a result of increased vehicle damage and the higher cost of repairing the more severe road damage. Another area of concern is rail spending. The Department spends two-thirds of its budget through third party organisations such as Network Rail and Transport for London. While information and assurance have improved over some third party spending, there is still a lack of proper accountability and transparency for Network Rail. Rail budgets aren't being reduced as much as other areas, yet passengers still face high fares. The Department hands Network Rail over £3 billion each year, underwrites debt of over £25 billion and continues to treat it as a private sector company. The National Audit Office must be allowed full audit access as quickly as possible.. Better contingency plans for dealing with threats to its planned budget reductions also need to be developed - for example if some of its planned efficiency savings do not deliver or if inflation is higher than forecast

The Future of Transport
The Future of Transport

Author: Great Britain. Department for Transport

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9780101623421

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Building on the policy measures in the 10 Year Plan for Transport (ISBN 1851124136) published in July 2000, this White Paper considers factors which are likely to shape the transport system over the next 30 years, and sets out the Government's strategy to address these issues, including an outline of expenditure plans to 2015. The Government's three stated themes, upon which the strategy is built, are: sustained investment over the long term, improvements in transport management, and planning ahead. Issues discussed include: managing the increasing demand for travel and the legacy of under-investment in transport infrastructure; measures to improve the road network, including promoting a public debate on road pricing options and working alongside local authorities to tackle local congestion problems; measures to improve the rail network, including support for Crossrail, the project to create a new east-west railway across London; improving public transport, specifically bus services; promoting walking and cycling as alternatives for local trips; aviation and shipping industries; freight transport; devolved decision-making at local and regional levels; strategic options relating to spatial planning and housing growth; environmental concerns; safety and security issues. The scope of the White Paper extends to England, and to Wales and Scotland in so far as it covers UK policy responsibility. Two accompanying documents, i) a review of the Crossrail business case (ISBN 1904763456) and ii) a feasibility study of road pricing in the UK (ISBN 1904763499) are also available.