Haulage is optimistic about 'super' ministry
Page 14
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Haulage and environmental organisations believe that the industry will benefit from this week's merger of the Departments of Transport and Environment.
This is because the new Department of the Environment. Transport and the Regions will be able to formulate better transport policy by taking into account the environmental and planning implications of any changes.
The new department, which is headed by the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, came into being on Monday (16 June) with the aim of "integrating the policies of the two departments".
Detailed decision on staff changes will not be made before the end of September.
The Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association and the environmental pressure group Transport 2000 all believe hauliers will benefit from more careful thinking about the implications on traffic of building development decisions.
John Chapman, operations director at the RHA, says: "The environment has always had a fairly high priority but if the Government makes a decision on the environment it will now also look at the impact on trans. port, and vice versa."
The FTA believes the presence in the cabinet of Prescott and Transport Minister Gavin Strang means that transport will retain its "high political priority".