Passenger Focus (Triennial Review)

Stephen Hammond Excerpts

Tuesday 25th March 2014 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Stephen Hammond)]

My noble Friend, the Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Kramer, has made the following written ministerial statement:

We will shortly be commencing a triennial review of Passenger Focus (PF). PF is the independent non-departmental public body (NDPB) set up to represent the interests of rail passengers in England, Scotland and Wales, bus and tram passengers in England—outside of London—and passengers on scheduled domestic coach services in England.

Triennial reviews are part of the Government’s commitment to ensuring that NDPBs continue to have regular independent challenge, including to their objectives and governance. A triennial review normally has two aims:

to provide a robust challenge of the continuing need for the NDPB; and

where it is agreed that it should remain as an NDPB, to review the control and governance arrangements in place to ensure that the public body is complying with recognised principles of good corporate governance.

However, following the public bodies review, PF completed a significant restructure in 2011 and now has a key role in relation to future transport policy, including increasing the passenger voice in future rail franchises. As a result, it has therefore been decided that this review will focus its attention on the second stage.

The report of the review will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses when it is completed.