Recommendations & Conclusions
10 items
1
Conclusion
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
Aside from the structural legal issues, it is clear from the evidence that myriad specific practical issues need to be addressed, across all transport modes and relating to all kinds of disability, to improve compliance and practice on a daily basis. We will seek to hold the Department for Transport, …
Government response. The government states it will act on the practical accessibility issues raised by the inquiry and will ensure operators and regulators treat accessibility as a fundamental and prioritised expectation.
Department for Transport
2
Conclusion
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
The 2018 Inclusive Transport Strategy set a goal of “creating a transport system offering equal access for disabled people by 2030”. Regardless of the status of individual actions set out in that Strategy, it is evident that the overall goal will not be achieved on that timescale. A positive direction …
Government response. The government accepts that its strategic approach to accessibility needs improvement and will embed it as a 'golden thread' within the forthcoming Integrated Transport Strategy (INTS), focusing on a clear action plan and milestones.
Department for Transport
4
Recommendation
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
Decision-makers too often deem accessibility to be in conflict with, and less important than, other policy goals, technical requirements or cost pressures. The Government’s starting point must be that accessibility has to be delivered, not that it will only be delivered if other factors do not get in the way. …
Government response. The government accepts that accessibility must be a "golden thread" in transport system design and operation, committing to embedding it within the forthcoming Integrated Transport Strategy with clear action plans and milestones to ensure it is not sidelined.
Department for Transport
8
Conclusion
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
The seemingly routine, everyday nature of assistance failures on the rail network is unacceptable. Accessibility must not be viewed through the same lens as customer service, where less than 100 per cent performance is considered normal. Accessibility failures should be vanishingly rare, not commonplace, but too few actors in the …
Government response. The government accepts the need to improve its strategic approach to accessibility, committing to embed it as a 'golden thread' within a forthcoming Inclusive Transport Strategy (INTS) which will include a clear action plan and milestones.
Department for Transport
9
Recommendation
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
The Government’s new strategy for inclusive transport should set out what practical measures it will take to embed the principle that every instance of not meeting accessibility obligations constitutes a serious failure for which operators and service providers will be held accountable. This must include measures to collect comprehensive data …
Government response. The government commits to embedding accountability measures and a clear action plan within its forthcoming Inclusive Transport Strategy to address accessibility obligations and failures.
Department for Transport
11
Recommendation
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
The Department must set out in response to this report how it will change its processes in order to build accessibility into decision-making processes both internally and at agencies overseen by the Department, and how it will ensure that internal checks and balances for accessibility are effective. Relying on consultations …
Government response. The government agrees to integrate accessibility into decision-making, stating it will review business case guidance and associated processes to better reflect impacts on people with disabilities. It has also expanded its People and Equalities Centre of Excellence (PECoE) team to …
Department for Transport
12
Conclusion
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
We welcome the aspiration expressed by the Department in the last Parliament to involve the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee more thoroughly in the policy-making process beyond policy specific to accessibility. This was long overdue, considering that DPTAC was established in 1985. (Conclusion, Paragraph 76)
Government response. The government states that the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) already plays a key role across all aspects of policy development and has agreed to enhance its public reporting by publishing regular updates and meeting minutes.
Department for Transport
18
Conclusion
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
We welcome the focus in the Government’s rail reform consultation paper on streamlining, consolidating and strengthening powers for protecting passenger interests, resolving complaints and monitoring rights and standards. However, the focus on accessibility in the consultation document appears relatively weak in comparison to the severity of the problem. It will …
Government response. The government confirms the forthcoming Railways Bill will create a new passenger watchdog, which was proposed to have an explicit duty on accessibility for monitoring and advocating improvements, with the full consultation response due later this year.
Department for Transport
19
Conclusion
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
An unreasonable burden is currently placed on disabled people themselves in holding transport operators and authorities to account for fulfilling their duties. Legal action is rarely a practical option for most individuals, so it is especially important that complaints processes are made more accessible and effective. The user should not …
Government response. The government acknowledges the complexity of complaints processes and is already working with disabled people's groups to improve information. It will undertake further work to explore simplifying complaints processes and escalation routes across modes, starting with assessing bus complaints pathways.
Department for Transport
23
Conclusion
1st Report – Access denied: rights vers…
Accepted
The landscape of legislative and regulatory requirements for transport accessible is overly complicated and fragmented and needs to adapt to changing uses of transport. This prevents both operators and travellers readily understanding rights and obligations, and makes redress harder to access. (Conclusion, Paragraph 123)
Government response. The government accepts the conclusion that transport accessibility legislation is complicated and commits to having the Law Commission undertake a review of the framework to provide clearer standards.
Department for Transport