Recommendation 28

HM Government Acknowledged

31. The Department agrees that there should be no ambiguity about the importance of all relevant parties fulfilling their duties on accessibility. The Department sets the policy framework for transport accessibility, which regulators enforce. As the inquiry identified, the effectiveness of regulators in fulfilling their responsibilities is central to breaking down barriers and upholding disabled people’s rights. As a first step to making sure that this is the case, the Department will reiterate the importance and necessity of prioritising accessibility and equalities duties in the annual leadership directive letters issued by Ministers to the senior leadership of our departmental Arms-length Bodies (ALBs) and agencies. It is important that as regulators set forth their priorities and business plans, that accessibility is properly considered alongside their wider regulatory objectives. 32. It is right to highlight that regulators and agencies should be resourced and set-up in a manner that maximises their efficiency and effectiveness in fulfilling their remit, with clear reporting mechanisms in place on how they undertake and enforce their duties and responsibilities – and that these bodies are ultimately held accountable by Ministers for their performance. The recently announced Cabinet Office review of ALB’s commissioned by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, to improve performance, maximise efficiency and provide clear Ministerial oversight will be an important consideration in this regard. The Department for Transport will be engaged in this review, and the performance of ALB’s with relevant accessibility related responsibilities, will be an important consideration in this process. As part of this work, the Government will consider what legislation may be required so that the review outcomes can be implemented and delivered upon. 33. As this wider review is undertaken the Department intends to work further with representative bodies of disabled people, regulators and operators by convening these stakeholders together to determine how collective action can be taken to: a. Identify and commit to practical steps to improve accountability for accessibility failures. b. Strengthen enforcement mechanisms and regulatory alignment. c. Elevate the voices of disabled people in shaping enforcement strategies. d. Showcase and scale up exemplary practices in training, monitoring, and redress. 34. The Department envisages that these outputs can be supported by the co-production of an accessibility charter that brings together in one place the guiding principles that underpin the rights and responsibilities of disabled passengers, regulators and enforcement bodies, and operators. The Department is aware that the National Centre for Accessible Transport has worked with the Accessible Transport Policy Commission to create an Accessible Transport Charter for local and regional political leaders,4 and it is the Department’s intention to work collaboratively to build upon this pioneering piece and amplify it to the national level.