Corporate report

DPTAC Main Committee meeting minutes March 2024

Updated 10 September 2024

11:00am to 15:00pm, 20 March 2024, Department for Transport (DfT) London and online.

Attendees

DPTAC: Prof. Matthew Campbell-Hill (Chair), Will Bee, Prof. Roger Mackett, Mike Brace CBE DL, Bryan Matthews, Sue Sharp, Dave Partington MBE, Sharon Brennan, DPTAC Secretariat.

Guests: Guy Opperman, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Roads and Local Transport, and Ministerial Disability Champion for the Department for Transport), Liz Wilson, Deputy Director, Accessible and Inclusive Travel, Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS).

Apologies: Helen Dolphin MBE, Niki Glazier, Welsh Government, Cabinet Office Disability Unit, the Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC).

Introduction, conflicts of interest and minutes of previous main meeting 

The chair asked for new real, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest with the items on the agenda; none were identified. 

Review of DPTAC work during the previous quarter 

The committee noted the advice that has been provided in the past quarter. These included:

• Active Travel England’s (ATE) draft ‘quiet lanes advice note’
• ATE’s planning application assessment toolkit
• response to design standards for accessible railway stations: code of practice consultation
• bus and coach accessibility standards to inform DfT international engagement
• the response to the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) led consultation on the Persons with Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Note (NTSN), which was conducted as part of a wider consultation on NTSN. This response was provided in the proceeding quarter but sent after the last main committee meeting on 6 December 2023, so not included in those minutes

Secretariat update

The committee received an update from the secretariat on the current recruitment of new DPTAC members which noted that the campaign had received a positive response and that interviews were expected to take place over the coming month.

Transport Select Committee Inquiry on Accessible Travel: legal obligations

The chair provided a synopsis of the main issues raised at the evidence sessions conducted by the Transport Select Committee (TSC) during their inquiry into accessible travel.

The chair highlighted the range of issues raised which included:

• views that transport system routinely fails disabled people and operators and regulators do not consistently fulfil their obligations to disabled people
• the heavy burden placed on disabled people to seek redress through the courts at personal financial risk
• significant cultural and attitudinal issues experienced through insufficient employee and organisational awareness of disability and accessibility requirements
• comparisons between the United Kingdom’s approach to regulation and redress compared to other countries
• the role of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and how they prioritise accessibility within their strategy and work.    

The committee discussed these issues noting that when the TSC publishes its final reports and recommendations, DPTAC would be invited to provide advice to the Department for Transport on its response.

Discussion with Ministerial Disability Champion, Guy Opperman MP

Guy Opperman MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Roads and Local Transport, and Ministerial Disability Champion (MDC) for the Department for Transport) joined the meeting to discuss with the committee his reflections on his first 4 months in post as MDC, and his appearance at the TSC accessible travel inquiry oral evidence session on 13 December 2023.

Minister Opperman introduced himself to the committee and thanked them for their ongoing commitment to supporting the department to improve accessibility across the transport network.

Minister Opperman and the committee members discussed his appearance before the TSC, covering the issues identified through the inquiry. This included:

• how the EHRC considers accessibility within its work
• the issues disabled people report experiencing regarding pavement parking and clutter
• e-scooters
• bus stop bypasses
• the comparative burden and onus placed on disabled people, regulators and operators to resolve complaints

Discussion also considered how accessibility may be integrated into infrastructure design and implementation, noting how initiatives such as Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) standards could evolve to include a stronger focus on the social aspect of ESG, particularly in terms of accessibility.

Ways of working

In advance of the onboarding of new committee members through the current recruitment campaign, the committee discussed the current administrative setup available to the committee, including the approach to work management and roles. The committee discussed accessibility in terms of recording and keeping track of their work, and the need to keep under review the number of meetings attended. It was noted that meetings and discussions need to be balanced with allowing committee members to undertake the review of policy proposals and complete the provision of advice back to the department.

Any other business

The committee discussed the option to undertake a future meeting outside London, with the Isle of Wight identified as a possible destination, which would be focused upon visiting accessibility related initiatives and local organisations. The objective of this would be to support an awareness of accessibility needs outside major metropolitan settings.