Download or read book Department for Transport written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-03-02 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2003, the Government entered into three innovative 30 year contracts with private sector contractors to upgrade London's underground rail system. Four years later, in 2007, two of the three contractors (Metronet BCV and Metronet SSL, known collectively as Metronet) went into administration when they could no longer meet their spending obligations. The loss to the taxpayer arising from Metronet's poor financial control and inadequate corporate governance is some £170 million to £410 million. The Department's oversight and management of risk on the Metronet contracts were inadequate, especially given that it provided a £1 billion a year grant, was ultimately responsible for delivery and carried the majority of the risk of failure. These failings ignored a clear warning from the National Audit Office in 2004 that they should avoid taking a 'hands-off' approach to oversight. The Department undermined its assumption that lenders would exercise strong oversight by assuring them that it would meet 95 per cent of the outstanding debt in the event of failure. The public sector parties to the contract were unable to obtain the information they needed to oversee the contract effectively. A serious weakness in the arrangements was that the independent Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Arbiter was not invited to act at the earliest opportunity, rendering him largely ineffective. The Department must learn from its mistakes, have the right commercial skills in place and perform robust risk analysis when negotiating such contracts, to monitor the risks thereafter, and be prepared to intervene where necessary.

Download or read book The performance of the Department for Transport written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-03-04 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this report the Transport Committee calls on the Government to implement the vision for transport - including improved traffic flows on motorways, rail electrification and high speed rail, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport - that has been established under the current Secretary of State, Lord Adonis. The Department has made progress in a number of important areas, both recently and over the past decade, and has also established a new sense of direction, despite a too-frequent change of ministers. The Committee reviews progress against the Government's integrated transport plan, 'Transport 2010', which was adopted in 2000. Whilst much has been achieved, the ambition to build up to 25 light rail lines has not. It calls on the Government to publish a comprehensive progress report against the targets that it set itself. It also calls for strong action on local bus services which, outside London, are still not integrated with other local transport services. Bus use outside London continues to decline, apart from a slight increase after the introduction of free bus travel for older and disabled people. The Committee calls for full implementation of the Local Transport Act which gives local authorities powers to introduce bus quality partnerships and quality contracts; and for the Traffic Commissioners to be given adequate resources to carry out punctuality monitoring.

Download or read book The Work of the Department for Transport s Agencies Driver and Vehicle Operator Group and the Highways Agency written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-07-27 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Driver and Vehicle Operator (DVO) Group is part of the Department for Transport and is made up of four agencies: the Driving Standards Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). It was established in 2003 to promote closer collaboration between the agencies and to develop modernised co-ordinated services in order to deliver improved customer services and value for money. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport and is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the strategic road network in England. Issues considered in the Committee's report include how the agencies contribute to departmental objectives and policy, issues of accountability and transparency, agency funding and accounts, shared systems and co-ordination.

Download or read book Shared Services in the Department for Transport and Its Agencies written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Public Accounts Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The NAO report on this topic published as HCP 481, session 2007-08 (ISBN 9780102954159)

Download or read book Financial scrutiny of the Department for Transport written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2011-01-11 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report details a new approach to scrutinising the financial performance of the Department for Transport during the life of this parliament. The strategy rests on innovations agreed with the Department designed to make it easier for the Committee to compare information in the departmental annual review with that provided in the estimate of expenditure. These changes are to be welcomed as they will make it easier to hold the Government to account about the delivery of its transport policy pledges including those made in the recent comprehensive spending review. However, it is essential that in moving to a simplified structure for the annual estimate of expenditure, important detail about departmental spending is not hidden from public view. The Committee will be carefully monitoring the new arrangements to ensure that this is not the case

Download or read book Reducing costs in the Department for Transport written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-03-13 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As part of the 2010 Spending Review the government announced a significant reduction in the budget of the Department for Transport, with spending due to be 15% lower by 2014-15, in real terms, than the Department's £12.8 billion budget in 2010-11. The Department prepared early, identifying areas for budget reductions based on good analysis. But for road users, railway passengers and taxpayers, there are many questions which remain unanswered. The Department doesn't fully understand the impact of its cuts to road maintenance. There is concern that short-term budget cutting could prove counter-productive, costing more in the long-term as a result of increased vehicle damage and the higher cost of repairing the more severe road damage. Another area of concern is rail spending. The Department spends two-thirds of its budget through third party organisations such as Network Rail and Transport for London. While information and assurance have improved over some third party spending, there is still a lack of proper accountability and transparency for Network Rail. Rail budgets aren't being reduced as much as other areas, yet passengers still face high fares. The Department hands Network Rail over £3 billion each year, underwrites debt of over £25 billion and continues to treat it as a private sector company. The National Audit Office must be allowed full audit access as quickly as possible.. Better contingency plans for dealing with threats to its planned budget reductions also need to be developed - for example if some of its planned efficiency savings do not deliver or if inflation is higher than forecast

Download or read book The Future of Transport written by Great Britain. Department for Transport and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building on the policy measures in the 10 Year Plan for Transport (ISBN 1851124136) published in July 2000, this White Paper considers factors which are likely to shape the transport system over the next 30 years, and sets out the Government's strategy to address these issues, including an outline of expenditure plans to 2015. The Government's three stated themes, upon which the strategy is built, are: sustained investment over the long term, improvements in transport management, and planning ahead. Issues discussed include: managing the increasing demand for travel and the legacy of under-investment in transport infrastructure; measures to improve the road network, including promoting a public debate on road pricing options and working alongside local authorities to tackle local congestion problems; measures to improve the rail network, including support for Crossrail, the project to create a new east-west railway across London; improving public transport, specifically bus services; promoting walking and cycling as alternatives for local trips; aviation and shipping industries; freight transport; devolved decision-making at local and regional levels; strategic options relating to spatial planning and housing growth; environmental concerns; safety and security issues. The scope of the White Paper extends to England, and to Wales and Scotland in so far as it covers UK policy responsibility. Two accompanying documents, i) a review of the Crossrail business case (ISBN 1904763456) and ii) a feasibility study of road pricing in the UK (ISBN 1904763499) are also available.

Download or read book Department for Transport annual report 2007 written by Great Britain: Department for Transport and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-05-17 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dated May 2007

Download or read book The management of staff sickness absence in the Department for Transport and its agencies written by Great Britain: National Audit Office and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-06-08 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ministers have challenged all Departments to reduce their 2004 sickness rates by 30% by 2010. This report looks at the sickness levels in the Department of Transport and its seven executive agencies, which average 10.4 days sickness for each full-time employee (compared to a Civil Service average of 9.8 days). However the performance is varied. The central Department and four agencies have sickness levels at or below comparable organisations but three agencies have higher levels and the Driving Standards Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have absence rates of 13.1 and 14 day respectively. If there is going to be a significant change there needs to be action at the corporate and individual business level. Corporately there needs to be: targets for each part of the Department, tailored to circumstances; quality standards for recording sickness with the provision of management information; a consistent framework for evaluating initiatives and sharing good practice. At a business level more could be done to ensure that line managers were aware of their responsibilities and improve intervention in long-term cases.

Download or read book Reducing costs in the Department for Transport written by Great Britain: National Audit Office and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2011-12-14 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2010 spending review set a transport budget that is 15 per cent lower in 2014-15 compared with 2010-11. All areas of spending are affected by reductions, but the Highways Agency sees the biggest reduction, with a budget falling from £3.2 billion in 2010-11 to £2.1 billion in 2014-15. The Department felt constrained in altering some areas of spending, most significantly excluding from consideration the current grant to Network Rail. In a sample of 73 per cent of the Department's budget, over half of the reductions, compared to planned spending, are the result of cuts, delays to new investment or higher fares rather than new approaches to delivering the same services for less. The Department had a good understanding of the relationship between costs and benefits regarding specific transport projects such as Crossrail and national road schemes. Information was less good in other areas, the weakest being in rail. The Department commissioned work to improve its information on the costs and benefits from grants to Transport for London and local authorities. There is a risk now that a proportion of the budget reductions in road maintenance and rail budgets may not be financially sustainable. Budget reductions of £1.23 billion will be made to national and local road maintenance; however, this includes £223 million of unspecified efficiencies, risking deterioration in road quality and higher long term costs to the Department or local authorities. One year after the spending review, it is too early to assess with confidence progress on the major cost reduction measures, as most of the critical milestones against which progress can be judged lie ahead

Download or read book The management of staff sickness absence in the Department for Transport and its agencies written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-11-20 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Department of Transport and its seven executive agencies average 10.4 days of sickness for each full-time employee (compared to a Civil Service average of 9.8 days). However the performance is varied. The central Department and four agencies have sickness levels at or below comparable organisations but the Driving Standards Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have absence rates of 13.1 and 14 day respectively. On the basis of a Comptroller and Auditor General's report the Committee have examined current sickness levels in the Department and actions being taken to meet their 2010 targets. They conclude that the Agencies need a better understanding of why some staff take so much sick leave. Although there appears to be a correlation with low paid repetitive administrative jobs there are also concerns about leadership within the Department. Measures have therefore been taken to strengthen management in areas involving repetitive work.

Download or read book The Great Reconfiguration written by Frank W. Geels and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2022-05-12 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Demonstrates a socio-technical reconfiguration approach to low-carbon system transitions for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.

Download or read book A New Deal for Transport written by Iain Docherty and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-07-20 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprising contributions from a range of experts, this volume offers a critical commentary on the government's sustainable transport policy. A critical commentary on the Blair government's sustainable transport policy and its implementation. Firmly rooted in an appreciation of the politics of this controversial field. Experts contribute up-to-the-minute analyses of the key issues. Will inform debate over the future of transport policy. Includes a Foreword by David Begg, Chair of the Commission for Integrated Transport.

Download or read book Regional Planning written by John Glasson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-11-21 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Regional Planning provides a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and theory of regional planning in the UK. Drawing on examples from throughout the UK, it provides students and practitioners with a descriptive and analytical foundation for understanding this rapidly changing area of planning. The book includes four main sections covering: the context and history of regional planning theoretical approaches evolving practice future prospects. New questions and methods of theorizing are explored and new connections made with contemporary debates in geography, political science and planning theory. The elements of critical analysis allow both practitioners and more advanced students to reflect upon their activities in a contemporary context. Regional Planning is the essential, up-to-date text for students interested in all aspects of this increasingly influential subject.

Download or read book Simulators for Transportation Human Factors written by Mark S. Young and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-07-06 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Simulation continues to be a growth area in transportation human factors. From empirical studies in the laboratory to the latest training techniques in the field, simulators offer myriad benefits for the experimenter and the practitioner. This book draws together current trends in research and training simulators for the road, rail, air and sea sectors to inform the reader how to maximize both validity and cost-effectiveness in each case. Simulators for Transportation Human Factors provides a valuable resource for both researchers and practitioners in transportation human factors on the use of simulators, giving readers concrete examples and case studies of how simulators have been developed and used in empirical research as well as training applications. It offers useful and usable information on the functional requirements of simulators without the need for any background knowledge on the technical aspects, focusing on the state of the art of research and applications in transport simulators rather than the state of the art of simulation technology. The book covers simulators in operational terms instead of task simulation/modelling and provides a useful balance between a bottom-up, academic approach and a top-down, practical perspective.

Download or read book Feasibility Study of Road Pricing in the UK written by Great Britain. Department for Transport and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study considers the feasibility of options for a new system of charging for road use in the UK, in order to make better use of road capacity and to help reduce traffic congestion. This would mean moving away from the current motoring taxation system and introducing a variable charging system depending on the level of road congestion. Issues discussed include: public attitudes, travel trends, options for national road pricing, institutional aspects of implementation, possible interim options to a national scheme, including the UK lorry road user charging scheme and local congestion charging pathfinder schemes. Amongst the report's conclusions, it finds that national road pricing is becoming feasible in the medium-term (in 10 to 15 years) and could meet the Government's objectives. However, its successful implementation requires the promotion of a greater degree of public acceptance. Although a national scheme is still some years off, a number of practical steps can be taken now in preparation, including promoting a public debate to inform and raise awareness, with research into road users' behaviour and implications for business; working with car manufacturers in the development of vehicle technology standards; and working with local authorities on introducing local charging schemes to tackle congestion problems. This document is published alongside the Transport White Paper "The future of transport: a network for 2030" (Cm. 6234, ISBN 0101623429).

Download or read book Port Infrastructure Finance written by Hilde Meersman and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-06-20 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an expert analysis of alternative investments routes and the investment strategies available to the major port players, and is a much-needed guide to expanding the investor base for private debt funding of projects from loan providers to bond investors. Port infrastructure investments are vitally important to all ports throughout the world; without these investments, the competitive position of ports and of the dependent logistics sector will deteriorate. National/regional governments and the local port authorities are no longer a guaranteed source of sufficient financial input to meet the continuous port infrastructure investment needs of major ports. It is, therefore, increasingly crucial for ports to broaden their strategies and secure alternative streams of investment. This book provides expert insight into areas of port infrastructure finance across the main regions of Europe, Asia, Africa and the USA. Topics include how to estimate future demand by way of forecasting; Public-Private Partnerships; corporatisation; the pricing mechanisms for syndicated loans; European port privatisation; finance strategies for ports in Asia, the USA and Africa; and a discussion of the investment strategies available to the major port players. Port Infrastructure Finance is an invaluable book for all parties involved in the port and maritime business, as well as investment companies, banks and other financial institutions involved in infrastructure investment.