§ Mr. McNultyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has any plans to exempt new rail vehicles from the provisions of the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998; and if he will make a statement. [76049]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998 apply to all new rail vehicles first brought into use after 31 December 1998. Operators who introduce new rail vehicles into service after this date which do not fully meet the regulations must apply to the Secretary of State for exemption.
We are expecting to receive a number of exemption applications from rail operating companies whose design of rail vehicles was well advanced prior to the new regulations coming into force. We are required to consult our statutory disabled advisers, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), in considering any such application.
The first application was received for the tram for use on Line 1 of the Midland Metro System. Exemption regulations relating to those tram have been placed before Parliament today. DPTAC recommended that the exemptions should be granted subject to certain conditions being applied to them. The exemptions are mostly of a very minor nature and have been requested for a short time only. We have accepted DPTAC's recommendations. The exemptions will not prevent disabled people from using the new system and we believe the system will make a significant contribution to improving mobility opportunities for disabled people in the area.