Minutes of Main Committee Meeting:
1 October 2003
Chairman:
Neil Betteridge
DPTAC Members:
Pravin Amin
Peter Barker
Ann Bates
Josie Clairmont
Vidur Dindayal
Jean Dunlop
David Finnegan
Julie Giles
Roy Hayter
Roger Hewitt
Tom Pey
Keith Richards
Kate Smyth
Carol Thomas
Observers:
Louise Evans - Disability Rights Commission (DRC)
Ann Frye - Department for Transport, Mobility & Inclusion Unit
Julie Guilar - Department for Regional Development, Northern Ireland
Carol Foster Middleton - Department for Work & Pensions
John Stirling - Mobility & Access Committee for Scotland
In Attendance:
Nigel Dotchin - Department for Transport
Rupert Seebohm - Department for Transport
Andy Kirby - DPTAC Secretariat
Sandra Duncan - DPTAC Secretariat
Ffion Grant - DPTAC Secretariat
Gary Kemp - DPTAC Secretariat
Harriet Samuels - DPTAC Secretariat
Verona Wiltshire - DPTAC Secretariat
Harry Wadsworth - British Sign Language Interpreter
Grace Bannan - British Sign Language Interpreter
Brian Jennings - TransFed Video Director
Apologies:
Sian Baldwin
Will Bee
Helen Cameron
Stephen Johnson
Grahame Lawson
Ann Lyon
Jenny Meadows
David Pugh
Keith Richards
Laura Smales
Mike Spearing
Richard West
Agenda item 1: Welcome, introductions and apologies of absence
1. Neil Betteridge introduced observers and guests to the meeting. He welcomed Julie Guilar who was attending in place of Stephen Johnson as representative from the Department of Regional Development Northern Ireland.
Agenda item 2: Minutes of the last meeting (6 August 2003)
2. The minutes of the 6 August meeting were agreed without amendment and would be placed on the DPTAC website.
Action Point 1: Secretariat to arrange for minutes of the previous meeting to be placed on the website.
Agenda item 3: Matters arising
Paper 01-M5-03
3. Members noted the matters arising in agenda paper 01-M5-03. Neil Betteridge raised additional matters where further progress had since occurred.
Action Point 2/23
4. Peter Barker updated the Committee on Home Zones. From the £30m challenge fund announced for new Home Zone schemes in England there had been 61 successful bids, with five schemes completed and three undergoing construction.
5. Evaluation of completed schemes revealed such benefits as less traffic and provision of safer places for children to play. The main disadvantages were that the zones attract children and gangs from outside the area and there was a reduction in available parking space.
6. The next meeting of the DfT Home Zone Working Group would be 7 October. Carol Thomas agreed to be the DPTAC representative to replace Janet Kirk who was no longer a DPTAC member.
7. The Secretariat would circulate the updated note on Home Zones with the minutes of the meeting.
Action Point 2: Secretariat to circulate the note on Home Zones with the minutes of the meeting (attached as minutes paper M1-M5-03).
Action Point 6-7
8. Will Bee would update the committee on progress made by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) in benchmarking accessibility. Louca-Mai Wilson, who is leading on the DRC Literature Review, would also be invited to give an update at the next meeting.
Action Point 3: Will Bee to update to members at December Main Committee on the issues of benchmarking accessibility and DRC Literature Review.
Action Point 4: Secretariat to invite Louca-Mai Wilson to attend the December Main meeting.
Training for elected members
9. Training for elected members on disability issues was raised following Caroline Fish's presentation to DPTAC on 6 August. Following discussions with colleagues in the capacity building team at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) Carol had responded as follows:
"The ODPM, together with the Local Government Association, is actively considering how best to take forward training and capacity building for elected members - of which Equality and Diversity is an important element. Officials are grateful for DPTAC's suggestion that such training could usefully include consideration of accessibility and will take these views into account when making decisions on the scope and content of this training".
Communication expenses
10. Several members requested that the communication expenses allowance of £35 per quarter be increased to allow them to use broadband for faster access to the internet needed for DPTAC work. The Secretariat would look into the possibility of this, meanwhile members should claim the existing allowance where they needed it.
Action Point 5: Secretariat to consider the case for increased communications allowance and report back to the next meeting.
Agenda item 4: Progress on work programme
11. Members considered the paper 02-M5-03 reporting on progress on the work programme. Neil Betteridge made additional comments expanding on the report and updated the meeting on recent developments.
12. Task 2 - It was noted that DPTAC had received 32
consultation papers this year and were currently considering
nine responses, five of which were on built environment
issues.
13. Task 14 - Peter Barker reported that Yvette Cooper had not replied to the issues raised at the July meeting to discuss amendments to the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill or suggested a date for the requested meeting to discuss Housing issues. Peter Barker would send a chasing letter requesting a response and encouraged members to attend the All Party Parliamentary Disability Group meeting to discuss the Planning Bill which will be held in the House of Commons at 5pm on 18 November.
Action Point 6: Peter Barker to send a chasing letter to Yvette Cooper.
Action Point 7: Members to inform the Secretariat if they wished to attend the All Party Parliamentary Disability Group meeting on 18 November (so as to minimise access and security hold-ups).
14. Task 27 - DPTAC published the draft specification for improving access to toilets on aircraft with a three month period for responses, following which a revised specification would be developed. Members were invited to volunteer to participate in the steering group to carry forward the work.
Action Point 8: Members to inform the Secretariat of their interest in joining the Aviation steering group. Secretariat to arrange the steering group meeting.
Agenda item 5: MIU report
Paper 03-M5-03
15. Members noted paper 03-M5-03. Ann Frye made additional comments expanding on the report and recent developments and answered questions from members.
Code of Practice on Access to Air Travel
16. The contract for the research project to benchmark current provision has been let and the MIU will be liasing with DPTAC to measure current provision in Aviation against the code.
Rail
17. The Department would be consulting shortly on proposals to implement the Disability Rights Task Force recommendations on rail accessibility, setting an end date for rail vehicle compliance to regulations and on regulations for rail vehicle refurbishment.
Bus
18. MIU were working with TransFed (the training organisation for the bus industry) and bus operators to produce a training package to include a video and guidance on requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act and the Director Brian Jennings attended part of the meeting. DPTAC members are involved in the production of the video which should be available at the end of the year.
Review of the Blue Badge Scheme
19. The work to implement all the accepted recommendations was continuing and would require a mixture of primary and secondary legislation, additional good practice guidance for local authorities and further research on options.
Review of 4 and 8 mph Vehicles
20. The contract has been let for the first stage of the project to review current laws on vehicle construction and use of vehicles on pavements and roads. Consultation and recommendations from the review were expected by summer 2004.
Ground Handling and Charging for Disabled Air Passengers
21. Draft legislation from the European Commission to outlaw passing the cost of ground handling to disabled passengers was expected to be published in November.
Diversity and Equality Training and Information
22. MIU are developing a programme of information and education for colleagues in the Department and its Agencies on diversity and equality issues. This was being done to help people developing the policy understand diversity issues and to always include them in their thinking about policy. DPTAC would be asked for support in some of the training.
Agenda item 6: 10 Year Plan
23. Members had been given a presentation on the Department for Transport's Ten Year Plan as part of their induction process in August 2003. Nigel Dotchin had been asked to attend the meeting to discuss with members the role DPTAC might have in the Review, which would help inform the Committee's work plan for 2004.
24. Nigel reported that the Secretary of State was giving further consideration to the development of the Ten Year Plan to include improvements that meet the Government's aim to achieve a sustainable and inclusive transport policy which would deliver better transport, improve welfare and embrace social inclusion.
25. The plan would need to be able to monitor output to enable assessment of the delivery of the strategy.
26. Members were interested to know the effectiveness of key performance indicators in measuring improvements to the day to day accessibility of services for disabled people.
27. Ann Frye reported that the MIU sponsored research to develop a system of evaluation to assess the benefit of enhanced mobility for disabled people was on-going and information from the research would feed into the guidance to Local Authorities on Local Transport Plans. The report would be made available to DPTAC.
Action Point 9: Ann Frye to send DPTAC a copy of the 'measuring accessibility' project when available.
Agenda item 7: Future Research for 2004/2005
28. At the last meeting members were invited to suggest potential future research proposals and DPTAC needed to identify two or three prioritised proposals for next year. Members decided on two priority areas:
a) Investigate the capacity of local access and disability groups to be effectively involved in consultations, community participation and promotion of inclusive environment, with the aims of identifying the skills, resources, support and training requirements of the groups, the sources to meet these, and identify gaps in meeting these requirements, and
b) Address skills shortages identified by Social Research Associates' (2000) research for DPTAC.
Action Point 10: Neil Betteridge and Secretariat to work up research proposals and forward into the DfT research programme for 2004/2005.
Agenda item 8: Review of Communications Strategy
Paper 05-M5-0
29. Neil Betteridge informed members of the need for DPTAC to promote its work and achievements and members were asked to consider what areas the Review of Communications paper should focus on and how the DPTAC website could be improved.
30. DPTAC would need to develop core messages that could be used for different audiences and develop links to industry in addition to engaging directly at meetings of the mode and interest specific working groups.
31. Members also considered the benefits of DPTAC holding its meetings in different locations around the country (as MACS did in Scotland) and inviting local transport businesses or access groups to act as host for meetings. They accepted the effect this would have on the Committee's resources on both Secretariat time and the limited budget. The Secretariat would consider the proposals with Neil Betteridge.
32. Andy Kirby reported that a meeting had been arranged with the website designer to consider improvements to the DPTAC site. The Secretariat and Neil Betteridge would work up a draft communication strategy for members to consider for approval at the December or February meeting.
33. Julie Giles offered to arrange for a group of disabled young post-16 students to research the DPTAC website to report its accessibility and ease of use to feed into the review of the site.
Action Point 11: Secretariat and Neil Betteridge to draft an outline strategic communication plan for members' approval at the December Main meeting.
Action Point 12: Secretariat and Neil Betteridge to consider holding future DPTAC meetings outside the London area.
Action Point 13: Julie Giles to arrange for a group of students to review and report on the DPTAC website.
Agenda item 9: Annual Report 2003
Paper 06-M5-03
34. Neil Betteridge explained that the aim of the paper was to give members an outline of what should be included in the Annual Report, bearing in mind that it is a summary of the year's work, rather than a complete account of all that DPTAC had achieved. This would enable the Secretariat to prepare a draft Annual Report for consideration at December's Main Committee meeting.
35. The five year review of DPTAC recommended that budgetary information be included in future Annual reports. The Secretariat had also identified scope for better read-across between the Annual Report and information on the DPTAC website and members suggested a greater use of illustrations, either pictures, cartoons or a mix of both.
36. Members suggested that the Annual Report should contain clear key point statements focusing not only on its achievements, but also indicate where DPTAC had not been able to make an impact on improving transport services for disabled people, explaining why.
37. The Secretariat would develop the draft Annual Report for circulation to Main Committee for further comment.
Action Point 14: Secretariat to develop the draft Annual Report for further comment by Main Committee.
Agenda item 10: Concessionary Fares
Paper 04-M5-03
38. Since the last DPTAC Main meeting in August the Secretariat had been made aware that the TAS Partnership, a consultancy specialising in Public Transport issues, has carried out research similar to the work that DPTAC was developing on concessionary fares. TAS has been reviewing and updating their 1998 report on Concessionary Travel in the UK. The updated report would be launched at a seminar in Manchester on 23 October 2003.
39. DPTAC would defer development of its Concessionary Fares Research to provide an opportunity to review the TAS report before commissioning further work.
Action Point 15: Secretariat to purchase a copy of the TAS report on Concessionary Fares, to review report and consider further development of the DPTAC Concessionary Fares paper.
Agenda item 11: Membership of Working Group
40. Neil Betteridge asked members to confirm that they had received notification of their allocation to membership of the various Working Groups and to contact the appropriate Chairs of the groups if they had any concerns about their allocations.
41. Industry representation on the groups had been agreed with the Working Group Chairs. The Secretariat would be arranging the first round of meetings. It was suggested that by 12 November each Working Group should identify two work priorities to be included in DPTAC's work plan for 2004, either at a meeting or by correspondence.
42. A table showing membership for all the working groups would be circulated to members with the minutes.
Action Point 16: Secretariat to circulate the table showing membership of all the working groups with the minutes (attached as minutes paper M2-M5-03).
Action Point 17: Secretariat to arrange working group meetings.
Action Point 18: Members of all Working Groups to identify work priorities for 2004.
Agenda item 12: Any other business
DPTAC/DRC Concordat
43. The Concordat will clarify relations between the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) and DPTAC, as recommended in the Five Yearly Review of DPTAC. The redraft had not been received back from DRC. The Secretariat would chase for a response and report to members at the December Main Committee meeting.
Action Point 19: Secretariat to chase DRC for a response to the draft Compact and report to members.
EQUAL Seminar 20 November
44. Members were asked to register their interest in attending the Seminar with the Secretariat.
Action Point 20: Members to inform the Secretariat of their interest in attending the EQUAL Seminar.
Arrangements for Christmas
45. Because of the recent reduction in availability of conference room facilities in Great Minster House, Members were asked to forward to the Secretariat any recommendations on accessible conference venues in London and other regions suitable for DPTAC meetings and events.
46. Members agreed Government Ministers should be invited to attend the December Main Committee meeting.
47. Members were asked for suggested names and organisations for inclusion on the DPTAC Christmas card list.
Action Point 21: Members to forward recommendations for accessible venues to the Secretariat.
Action Point 22: Neil Betteridge to invite Ministers to the December Main meeting.
Action Point 23: Members to suggest individuals and organisations for inclusion on the DPTAC Christmas card list.
Congestion Charging
48. Carol Thomas, at the request of the Disability Rights Commission's transport stakeholders forum, asked DPTAC to consider taking forward in its work plan for 2004, the Royal National Institute for the Blind's response to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee's report on congestion charging. This was deferred as a possible item for the Work programme for 2004, which would be discussed at the December Main meeting.
Action Point 24: Secretariat to add congestion charging to the Workplan agenda for the December Main meeting.
Taxi trials
49. Ann Frye announced that the DfT had published a leaflet to explain the main changes to the Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors and Passenger Regulations which affect the duties of those professions. The leaflets had been distributed to bus and coach licensing authorities and all bus and coach drivers.
Taxi `buck' test
50. Ann Frye reported that the first stage of the trial to check the ergonomics of accessible taxi design had been completed. DPTAC members would have the opportunity to review progress on the project, influence the research and try out the taxi test rig at a meeting in Milton Keynes, at a date to be arranged.
Action Point 25: MIU to circulate a draft agenda for the taxi meeting at Milton Keynes, as soon as a date had been fixed.
Date of next Main Committee meeting: Wednesday 3 December 2003.
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