Rail Industry Organisations (Hansard, 10 April 2001)

§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston)

(a) Railway Safety is a new non-profit-making company limited by guarantee set up under the terms of its network licence. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Railtrack Group plc but operationally separate from Railtrack plc. The Rail Regulator enforces the requirements on Railway Safety and on Railtrack in connection with Railway Safety through Railtrack's network licence.

The purpose of Railway Safety is:

to lead and develop the existing long-term safety strategy for the industry;
to establish and review new and existing Railway Group Standards under the Railway Group Standards Code, enforced by the Rail Regulator;
to be an agent for change by raising safety standards through research, development, education and raising awareness;
to carry out independent assessment of Railtrack's train and station operators' safety cases prior to consideration by the Health and Safety Executive; and
to lead, advise and support the industry through standard setting, leadership, promotion of best practice and guidance.

The Chairman of Railway Safety is Sir David Davies. Its executive directors are Rod Muttram (Chief Executive), Aidan Nelson (Director, Policy and Standards) and Dr Matt Walter (Director, Safety Management Systems). Industry non-executive directors are Alison Forster (Operations and Safety Director, First Great Western), John Penney (Alternate Chairman, GT Railway Maintenance) and Gordon Sage (Director of Industrial Minerals, Rio 170WA Tinto). Independent non-executive directors are Tom Cox (Professor of Organisational Psychology), Sir Frank Davies (former Chairman, Health and Safety Commission), Richard Profit (Group Director Safety Regulation CAA) and Hans Ring (Director of Safety, Swedish National Rail Administration). Railway Safety is funded by Railtrack, which raises the costs through access charges approved by the Regulator.

(b) The Railway Industry Standards Strategy Committee (RISSC), set up under the Railway Group Standard Code, provides advice to Railway Safety on strategic standards issues. In particular, it advises on strategic issues which could result in significant changes to technology or working practices and potentially result in changes to Railway Group Standards with significant costs for those affected.

Its independent chairman is Cliff Perry from AEA Technology Rail. The committee, which meets at least three times a year, reports to the Safety Advisory Board (SAB). Membership of the committee comes from across the industry (train and freight operating companies, rolling stock leasing companies and Railtrack). The Railway Inspectorate, the Rail Regulator and the Strategic Rail Authority all have observer status.

The activities of RISSC are funded by Railway Safety.

(c) Safety Advisory Board (SAB) is representative of the railway industry parties who may be materially affected by the safety policies and decisions of Railway Safety through, for example, the Railway Group Safety Plan or Railway Group Standards. The board brings together a wide spectrum of expertise from across the railway industry and focuses that expertise on providing advice and guidance to the board on its policies on strategic safety issues and on the prioritisation of Railway Safety's activities in relation to them.

SAB is not empowered to direct Railway Safety, nor is it charged with determining safety policies or strategies in its own right.

Railway Safety facilitates the SAB and its processes and provides the resources and information necessary for its operation.

Formal membership of the SAB comprises individuals nominated by industry bodies representing the rail industry's various sectors. These representatives come from train and freight operating companies, infrastructure contractors, rolling stock leasing companies, trade unions, Railtrack, the Railway Industry Association, the Strategic Rail Authority and the Railway Inspectorate.

Members are required to act collectively to promote safety rather than to represent specific company or constituency interests. They must ensure they have effective arrangements in place to communicate with their representative bodies.

SAB is chaired by Railway Safety non-executive director Professor Tom Cox and meets four times each year.

171WA

(d) The need for system authorities comes from the need to get the best solution for complex interfaces in railway systems. The purpose of a system authority is to co-ordinate the development, installation and modification of a specific project. A system authority is a joint industry body which makes recommendations as to the best safety and economic approach resolving conflicting views along the way. Thus it is effectively a system architect. Recommendations are taken forward through existing channels such as Railway Group Standards. No system authority is yet fully in place but the wheel-rail interface authority is the most advanced. Similar systems authorities are being developed for TPWS and tilting trains. A railway group standard for the operation of system authorities is being developed.

A members agreement for the wheel-rail interface system authority is being finalised. Membership would be split into five sectors to ensure that all interested parties are represented: Railtrack, freight train operators, passenger train operators, the Railway Industry Association representing the supply chain, and the rolling stock leasing companies. Each sector would elect a director and this group would elect a chair, who would be independent. The authority would also have a number of non-voting participants: the Strategic Rail Authority, the Rail Regulator, the Railway Inspectorate and Railway Safety.

The funding arrangements for the first year are set out in the members agreement. It is proposed that two-thirds of the cost will be allocated to Railtrack and its suppliers and one-third of the cost will be allocated to passenger train operating companies and suppliers.