§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the members and/organisations, companies and individuals represented on the Health and Safety Commission Railway Industry Advisory Committee; what the frequency of meetings of the RIAC is; and what recommendations have been(a) made and (b) implemented as an outcome of the meetings and discussions which have taken place. [38971]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe current membership of the Health and Safety Commission's (HSC) Railway Industry Advisory Committee (RIAC) is as follows:
- Margaret Burns—Chair (a member of the HSC)
- John Cartledge—London Transport Users Committee, Rail Passengers Council
- David Heseldin—Rail Passengers Council
90W - Vernon Hince, Phil Dee—RMT
- Mick Rix, Dave Bennett—ASLEF
- John Allen, Alan Tipping—TSSA
- Paul Reuter—Amicus (formerly AEEU)
- Aidan Nelson—Railway Safety (also chair of RIAC's Human Factors working group)
- Chris Leah—Railtrack plc (in railway administration)
- Richard Gostling—Railway Industry Association
- Terry Worrall—Association of Train Operating Companies (employed by Thames Trains)
- Paul Abbott—Railtrack plc (in railway administration) (also chairman of RIAC's Freight working group)
- Allen Baker—Rolling Stock Companies (employed by Angel Train Contracts)
- David Madden—Heritage Railway Association
- Mike Strzelecki—London Underground Ltd.
- Andrew Steel—Light Rail representative (employed by Stagecoach Supertram).
The Strategic Rail Authority, the Office of the Rail Regulator and the DTLR have observer status. This is being extended to include the Northern Ireland Department of Regional Development. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides secretariat support to RIAC, and is also currently represented at meetings by two senior officials. RIAC normally meets quarterly.
RIAC's activities prior to April 2001 were reported in successive editions of the Chief Inspector of Railways' Annual Report, copies of which are in the House Library. Since April 2001, RIAC has considered and provided the HSC with advice on aspects of all the recent public inquiry reports. Following a review of RIAC and the recommendations of Lord Cullen's public inquiry, its role was refocused in November 2001 to provide strategic advice to the HSC. Hence, at its most recent meeting in January 2002, RIAC considered HSE's draft railway regulatory strategy, and a negotiating strategy for the draft railway safety directive, both of which have subsequently been agreed by the HSC.