Prescott is head of super ministry
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by Sally Nash • The new Labour Government is combining responsibility for transport, the environment and the regions in a new "super ministry" to be headed by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
It has scrapped the title of Secretary of State for Transport, appointing shadow Agricultural Minister Dr Gavin Strang to the cabinet as Transport Minister. Baroness Hayman, as junior Environment and Transport Minister, will only spend half her time on transport.
The new line-up also includes Glenda Jackson as Undersecretary of State for Environment and Transport.
Prescott has substantial experience in transport—he was shadow Transport Secretary from 1983-1984 and again from 1988-1993. This compares with the average spell of 18-24 months that most Transport Secretaries spend in the job.
Individual responsibilities within the team are not yet clear. A DOT spokesman says: "We are all in a wait-and-see mode. It very much depends on how Prescott sees his role."
Transport and Environment will remain as separate departments but there will be some integration between them, the spokesman adds. Contentious issues likely to face the team in the near future include the implications of the 48-hour working week for transport and the 44-tonne limit.
The Freight Transport Association has warned again about the effect on hauliers if drivers are not exempt from the legislation. "The cost implications are substantial," says a spokesman. A recent FTA survey showed that 50% of UK companies would be forced to increase the size of their fleets.
The warning came as the Government took the first step towards removing the opt-out clause secured by John Major at Maastricht in 1992. This exempted the UK from employment policies seen by the Conservatives as anti-competitive.
Labour will also face a battle over its lack of enthusiasm for 44 tonnes. In its manifesto the party said it was "unpersuaded by the case for heavier, 44-tonne lorries".
• Transport newcomer Dr Gavin Strang has been shadow Agricultural Minister since 1992. He became MP for Edinburgh East in 1970 following a five-year spell as an agricultural scientist.
Strang, who is sponsored by the Transport & General Workers Union, lists AIDS, agriculture, employment and nuclear disarmament as his political interests. He supported Tony Blair in the leadership election in 1994 and John Smith in 1992.