Written question asked by Mike Wood (Batley and Spen) (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 September 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 October 2004. It was answered by David Jamieson (Labour) on Monday, 11 October 2004 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Dept for Transport

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who employs motorway traffic officers; and what their (a) job description, (b) duties and (c) responsibilities are.

Answer: Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who employs motorway traffic officers; and what their (a) job description, (b) duties and (c) responsibilities are. [189497] Mr. Jamieson: Traffic Officers (TOs) are directly employed by Highways Agency and will be designated to act on behalf of the Secretary of State in accordance with the Traffic Management Act. The Traffic Management Act 2004 sets out how the traffic officers will use their special powers in relation to managing congestion and the avoidance of danger to motorists. There is a phased programme for the migration of functions from the police to Highways Agency traffic officers, to ensure that their responsibilities are undertaken in a safe and effective manner. The TOs will only undertake safety critical functions when they are accredited as being fully competent. A copy of the job description that describes the roles, responsibilities and main duties of the TOs in the West Midlands has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Not all of the responsibilities detailed in the job description will be undertaken until this phased programme of migration has taken place and further secondary legislation has been developed.

Secondary information