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uderndence key or T s in new body
Page 8
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Department for Transport (Dfl) has acknowlid it needs to take special steps to ensure the lc Commissioners remain independent follg the merger of the Vehicle Inspectorate and ic Area Network.
rom 1 April 2003, the merged body will be Ad the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 3A), and anyone visiting either the VI or their I Traffic Area Office will be met with the new e and logo.
Vhen the merger was sport lawyers 'essed disquiet over impact'it would have he independence of Traffic Commissionand, as recently as week, James khouse of Backhouse as told CM that the ter was still to be ressed.
iowever, it now ears the DfT was hsng. ft has just pubd a consultation document asking the haulage istry how the newly-merged body should be led. Although most of the document deals with ling issues, one chapter addresses the issue dependence. Mlles BrIgnall It says: "Ministers recognise the need for TCs to remain independent of the merged agency, in the same way that they are independent of TAN and VI now," and goes on to suggest that some of the TC's support staff in the merged agency will need to be "transparently independent of other staff in the merged agency who could be involved in investigative work affecting licence holders".
"As an interim measure, and to ensure clear separation of roles and responsibilities, it has been agreed that the merged agency will, at least initially, have two separate divisions—one TAN and one VI," it concludes.
The DoT wants to know how the merged body should be funded. It favours extending the independent trading status currently enjoyed by the VI to cover all of VOSA—the other option is to stick with central funding received by TAN. The document makes a strong case for the former and suggests that fees from Operator's Licences should become part of VOSA's income.
• If you have a view on how %%SA should be funded, please e-mail: davkl.hilsoriCktan.gov.uk by 17 February.