0-licences safe if 3onditions the same
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HE GOVERNMENT has no intention of penalising responsible perators, Junior Transport Minister Lynda Chalker assured MPs on londay when the House of Commons debated the report stage of ie Transport Bill.
Mrs Chalker was commenting new provisions which have en added to the controversial 'oposals to apply environmenI controls to the issue of aerators' licences, and which we gone some way towards itisfying the transport industry. The revised proposals mean at an 0-licence cannot be resed when the operator applies ■ r it to be renewed if there has min no material change to the Deration, although such restricans as limits on hours of operaan could still be imposed by a censing Authority.
Mrs Chalker said that the regutions which will accompany re new clause will make clear to ks that they must take account i the nature of a haulage busi3SS before they do apply new mditions, but she said the Govnment did not consider it 3cessary for a specific amendlent to be made to the Bill to thieve this effect.
However, she did add in inding up that she respected ie industry's concern on this latter, and promised that the overnment will review the matir before the Bill goes to the ouse of Lords in case there is isufficient protection for existig businesses.
The Government's move from te original proposals for envimmental controls, which were
lifted almost verbatim from the 1978 Foster Report, has cooled industry hostility considerably, but Freight Transport Association planning and traffic services controller Richard Turner said this week that he is still unhappy about the content of the Bill.
He told CMth at having moved the Government from its original "extremely nasty and completely unworkable" proposals, the industry could now live with the Bill as it stood, but it still wants Mrs Chalker's assurances on existing businesses to be stated in black and white.
He said that where LAs are going to have their hearings open to the general public in a manner hitherto unknown it should be absolutely clear what rights of objection the public have. "Otherwise, you will get the position where an LA's discretion will be challenged by the public," Mr Turner said.
And he added that the FTA would still be happier if such matters of planning as the change of use of haulage premises were considered as part of the 1971 Town and Country Planning Act, for this would include a means of awarding compensation to disadvantaged operators.