Traffic Area Network

HC Deb 10 June 1996 vol 279 c30W

Lady Olga Maitland

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his plans are for reorganising the traffic area network. [32552]

Mr. Norris

In order to streamline the work and reduce the costs of the traffic areas, the work of the current eight offices will be reorganised into six offices, each with its own traffic commissioner. The offices in Cardiff and Manchester will be closed in 1997. It will be our objective to resolve the problems of staff surpluses by voluntary redundancy means wherever possible through offers of voluntary redundancy and by identifying alternative job opportunities in DOT agencies and other Government Departments for staff in these two offices who wish to remain in the civil service.

We shall be consulting shortly on proposals for boundary changes to the traffic areas so as to achieve a more even distribution of work.