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Local Transport Bill [HL]

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, said that Passenger Focus needs more teeth, to sum it up in a few words. He spoke entirely about complaints by users to Passenger Focus and yet in a presentation last night which the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and I were at, the problems that people are bringing to Passenger Focus relate to such things as the overcrowding of trains, which is entirely in the hands of government. It is not much good having a passenger watchdog that can bite in one direction but cannot bite in the other. It needs to be a two-way-facing organisation, not a one-way-facing one. On my Amendments Nos. 11A and 11B relating to climate change, I accept what the Minister has said. My worry is that the guidance issued might be issued in such a way that local authorities which choose to do so may ignore it. I remember the debate we had on the Traffic Management Act 2004. That was supposed to bring some discipline to the use of the highway by utility companies and it has not worked at all well because certain local authorities either ignore it or are too weak to enforce it. As congestion is the major reason for the unreliability of bus services and the escalating cost of the bus industry, it is important for central government to address issues such as traffic management and climate change in a way that will bring about some advance.