Our strategy for 2005-07

1 The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) was established in 1986 to provide independent advice to Government on the transport needs of all disabled people (Transport Act 1985).

2 Ministers invited us to provide independent advice on disabled people's needs within the built environment in 2000 (Disability Rights Task Force recommendation 8.3). "Built environment" means those parts of the world around us that have been created by people, including buildings, transport and landscaping. Ministers passed this remit from DPTAC to the Commission on Architecture and the Built Environment in April 2005. The built environment, other than the building and structures necessary for transport, is not therefore included in this strategy.

3 There are around 10 million adults covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) in Great Britain, this means that just over 1 in 5 adults in GB are disabled. In addition, one in seven people at any one time may experience significant mental health problems. These people, alongside many with learning difficulties, face major, widespread problems and disadvantages on all forms of transport. These barriers can exclude disabled people from participating fully in society as equal citizens.

4 Our aim is:

'That disabled people can go where everyone else goes and can do so easily and without extra cost. We would like to see this happen over the next fifteen years.'

5 In general attitudes toward disabled people are changing positively. There has been marked progress in the accessibility of transport in recent years but it continues to take longer than it should.

6 The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 created statutory rights and obligations. Under the Act, new trains and buses must meet thorough accessibility requirements. Service providers now must consider whether they need to make reasonable adjustments to their premises so that disabled people are able to use them. Although this is a great improvement on where this country was only a few years ago, the Government recognise that this Act needs to be improved and plans further primary and secondary legislation.

7 One of DPTAC's strengths is the experience and knowledge of its membership, which gives it the ability to provide timely and credible advice. We work in partnership with Government, disabled people and their organisations and the transport communities we seek to influence by advising on effective solutions to access problems.

8 Our purpose is to advise the Government on the transport needs of disabled people.

9 Our objectives are:

Objective 1: To provide timely, focused and credible advice to Government on how best to meet the transport needs of all disabled people, the advice to be representative of the broad views of disabled people in the United Kingdom on issues that are not the responsibility of the Scottish and Welsh country governments.

Objective 2: To provide guidance and advice to the transport industries and others on how best to meet the varying transport needs of all disabled people, taking account of gender, race, faith, sexuality, age and other differences between them.

Objective 3: To influence service providers to offer accessible information to disabled people of developments in accessible transport.

10 We base our advice on four underlying principles, which are:

• Public investment will only be made where accessibility has been taken into account
• Accessibility must be a part of the main stream of business activity
• Users should be involved in determining accessibility
• Accessibility is the responsibility of the provider.

11 We also believe that accessibility for disabled people can, and should, be measured and monitored to ensure progress is being made. DPTAC wants to see quantifiable improvements in the mobility of disabled people.

12 Although Ministers established DPTAC, it can only fully satisfy its remit if it acts independently of Government. This helps make it credible in the eyes of the transport communities but also its credibility among disabled people. The dedicated Secretariat was established in 2000 to enable DPTAC to demonstrate its independence.

13 To be effective DPTAC has to lead the debate and influence not only Government but also other stakeholders and the climate in which policy and investment decisions which affect disabled people are made. Above all, DPTAC has to offer practical solutions, not just analysis or idealism.

14 DPTAC's main liaison is with the Department for Transport, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Department for Regional Development. DPTAC has a crucial role in educating and influencing these Departments to address accessibility issues.

15 However, they are not the only audience for DPTAC's work, other key stakeholders will include:

• The Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland and the Disability Rights Commission, with whom we have agreed and published concordats setting out how we will work together, and other disability organisations;
• Government advisory bodies such as the Commission for Integrated Transport;
• Regulatory bodies such as the Office of the Rail Regulator and the Civil Aviation Authority;
• Transport for London, Passenger Transport Executives and other local authorities;
• Voluntary bodies such as the Community Transport Association, SUSTRANS and representative bodies of disabled drivers;
• Local Government organisations such as the Local Government Association, and the Innovation and Development Agency;
• Industry associations for specific modes, such as the Association of Train Operating Companies , the Confederation of Passenger Transport and the British Air Transport Association;
• Organisations handling passenger complaints and comments, such as Rail Passenger Council, the Bus Appeals Body, and the Air Transport Users Council;
• Others with a role in improving accessibility, such as the Access Association, professional bodies and educational establishments;
• Organisations representing disabled people nationally, such as RNIB, RNIB and RADAR;
• This list is not intended to be comprehensive but demonstrate the range of stakeholders DPTAC must influence if it is to achieve its aim. DPTAC also meets individual disabled people and their local groups when it holds meetings round the country.

16 To ensure that DPTAC advice is not marginalised or overlooked, the supporting analysis must be rigorous and robust. Its advice will be based on research evidence where that exists.

Being realistic about what DPTAC can achieve

17 DPTAC has limited resources, including a small Secretariat of six officials based in London, a Chair and twenty members (all unpaid and appointed by Ministers after public advertisement). We are realistic about what we can achieve in our role as an advisory body, however we do not underestimate the influence of timely, credible advice.

18 DPTAC operates on a number of levels:

1. We promote a general message about accessibility, as embodied in the DPTAC principles.
2. We provide guidance on how to make accessibility part of the routine work of transport operations, including sources of professional advice and expertise.
3. We can provide general or detailed technical advice to industry.

19 DPTAC's broad membership enables it to operate on all of these levels. It uses a variety of mechanisms including advice to Ministers and officials in the Department for Transport and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister guidance to industry, responding to consultations, producing publications and websites and undertaking research.

20 However, DPTAC does need to set priorities and take care not to spread itself too thinly. This strategy outlines how DPTAC will seek to deliver its objectives and identify priorities for the 2005-07 period. DPTAC will use its website, annual report, press notices and other means to inform stakeholders about its work. Our Communication Strategy sets out in more detail how we do this.

DPTAC strategic priorities

21 A key part of the DPTAC strategy is to lead and inform policy debates, and to input and influence key Government policy decisions to ensure they help to achieve our aim of a transport accessible to all.

22 In seeking to deliver our objectives, DPTAC will undertake tasks grouped under the following strategic priorities (SPs):

SP1: to discharge DPTAC's statutory responsibilities.

SP2: to assist in the implementation of the Disability Rights Task Force Report and subsequent recommendations to Government relating to transport and through primary, secondary and European legislation.

SP3: to ensure accessibility is achieved, enforced, measured monitored and evaluated, with progress benchmarked.

SP4: to include accessibility in the main stream of transport policy, practice and procedure and show how this can support other government aims such as those relating to health, sustainable development, sustainable communities, deprivation, and law and order.

SP5: to ensure that the advisory, regulatory and enforcement structures necessary to achieve accessibility such as the Disability Rights Commission, and its successor the Commission for Equality and Human Rights are in place and that they help achieve the mobility needs of disabled people.

Work programme

23 DPTAC will adopt working methods and practices that focus on specific tasks to achieve its objectives and strategic priorities.

24 At the start of each financial year DPTAC will agree a work programme identifying the outcomes it wishes to achieve in the coming year.

25 DPTAC's statutory responsibilities (SP1) are will probably not change through the strategy period.

26 Tasks and outcomes under the other strategic priorities will depend on wider Government policy, other developments and DPTAC's developing priorities . DPTAC will plan its activities to ensure it carries out tasks and seeks outcomes that will lead to real improvements in accessibility for disabled people over the short and long term.

Conclusion

27 This strategy sets out a framework under which detailed work programmes will be developed through the strategy period.

28 It is an ambitious strategy that will make a significant contribution towards DPTAC's aim of a transport system accessible to all within fifteen years.

29 In delivering this strategy, DPTAC will focus on achieving the outcomes identified under each priority area using a variety of working methods. Full use of Members' experience and knowledge will be essential, as will constructive relationships with other stakeholders.

• About DPTAC

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