§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the establishment of his transport policy unit in each of the last three years; what are its responsibilities; and if he will list the deregulation initiatives taken.
§ Mr. FreemanThe staff complement for the transport policy unit was 71½ posts in 1989, 9½ in 1990 and 14 in 1991.
The unit's responsibilities are the co-ordination of cross-modal transport policy issues, especially concerning the environment and safety. Since 1991 it has also had responsibility for deregulation in transport; for liaison with parliamentary Select Committees and for coordination of the Department's interests in the legislative programme.
The Government's deregulation initiative was started in 1985, and the areas targeted for review in each Government Department including DTp were set out in the White Paper "Lifting the Burden," Cmnd 9571. Progress with that programme, and subsequent additions to the programme, were set out in "Building Businesses … not Barriers", Cmnd 9794, published May 1986, and "Releasing Enterprise", Cmnd 512, published November 1988. The programme for 1991 was announced to the House by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Corporate Affairs on 18 December 1990, Official Report, columns 99-100.
The aim of the deregulation initiative is to remove the unnecessary regulation and licensing of business. The Government have, however, no hesitation in retaining or making new regulations where these are needed particularly for safety reasons. For example we are seeking agreement in the EC for improvements in regulatory standards for the safe construction of vehicles. The Department's aim is to review all existing regulations, to ensure that these are not out of date, or overlapping, or so obscure as to be ineffective—and where they are, to abolish them; and, if new regulations are necessary, to make them as unburdensome as possible.