Covering letter
Traffic Management Division
Department for Transport
Zone 3/23
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DR
Fax: 020 7944 5654
Email: kay.jaspal@dft.gsi.gov.uk
28 November 2006
Consultation on the Draft Regulations for Local Authority Permit Schemes to improve the management of Streetworks, and associated Draft Statutory Guidance and Code of Practice.
Dear Consultee,
The Traffic Management Act 2004 gave the Secretary of State powers to make further legislation to improve the management of works in the street undertaken by highway authorities and utility companies. We propose to exercise these powers to introduce a system of permits. Under our proposals, permit schemes would be run by highway authorities and would require permits to be obtained for most works, whether they are undertaken by or on behalf of utility companies or highway authorities themselves.
I am accordingly writing to invite your views on the attached draft Regulations and the associated draft Statutory Guidance, draft Code of Practice and partial Regulatory Impact Assessment. Your views would also be welcome on the working draft of the Electronic Transfer of Notices (EToN) specification set out at Annex E.
The consultation is primarily aimed at highway authorities, utility companies and their regulators but responses are welcomed from anyone with an interest. A list of organisations/stakeholders that we have sent this consultation to is included in Section 3. If you have any suggestions of others who may wish to be involved in the consultation process please let us know.
It would be helpful if representatives of any groups could give brief details of organisations they represent. Responses and any questions raised by this consultation can be returned via email to PermitSchemes.Consultation@dft.gsi.gov.uk or by hard copy. Paper responses should be marked "Permit Schemes Consultation" and sent to:
Ann Colley
Traffic Management Division
Department for Transport
Zone 3/23
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DR
Please reply by Monday 26 February 2007.
This consultation has been produced in accordance with the principles of the Government's "Code of Practice on Consultation" which is included in Section 4.
Please note that we will not be providing hard copies of this consultation pack except on special request.
According to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act (2000), all information contained in your response to this consultation may be subject to publication or disclosure. This may include personal information such as your name and address. If you want your response or your name and address to remain confidential, you should explain why confidentiality is necessary. Your request will be granted only if it is it is consistent with Freedom of Information obligations. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your e-mail system will not be regarded as binding on the Department.
A summary of responses to this consultation will be published on our website: www.dft.gov.uk after the consultation period has closed.
The Department will consider all comments received by 26 February 2007 before laying the Regulations and publishing the Statutory Guidance and Code of Practice. Comments will also inform the Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will be signed by a Department for Transport Minister and placed in the libraries of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
It is currently expected that the draft Regulations will be laid before Parliament and the Statutory Guidance and Code of Practice published in summer 2007. Under the Traffic Management Act, the Regulations must be approved by each House of Parliament before they can be made.
Yours faithfully
Kay Jaspal
