(APPG0013)
Written evidence submitted by All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail
Heritage Railways. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail (APPGHR) brings together Members with heritage railways in their constituencies, or members of the House of Lords who are interested in their role and effectiveness.
There are some 158 heritage railways in the United Kingdom and Ireland and all are important to their local economy, in terms of attracting visitor spend, providing employment and skills training and buying from local suppliers.
Prior to this year, they employed around 4,000 staff and attract an army of 22,000 volunteers to help run and maintain the lines, which also contributes to individual health and wellbeing of those volunteering. They provide a valuable local educational resource for schools with many points of reference to the national curriculum.
The Heritage Railway Association is the trade association for these railways, and, like the railways themselves, is staffed largely by volunteers.
The Group. The APPGHR was formed in 2011.The Secretary is unremunerated and undertakes the role on behalf of the HRA, and is also an active volunteer on one of the heritage railways. Meetings have taken place on the Parliamentary Estate prior to March this year but now take place via Zoom. Visits have been arranged by the Secretary but are hosted by the heritage railway or museum being visited.
Arrangements with speakers and outside parties are handled by the Secretary, while room bookings and entries to the All-Party Notice are made through the Chair’s office.
The Group aims to meet monthly during Parliamentary sessions, with speakers on particular topics, including Transport ministers, senior civil servants, the Chairman of Network Rail, and Pete Waterman. It has produced three substantive studies so far, with a fourth currently under way. They are:
Public Transport on heritage railways is the current inquiry due to report next year.
Transparency. Minutes of meetings are produced and circulated to members attending, and to those giving evidence for the studies undertaken. They are retained for future scrutiny. The Group does not have the capability or resources to run a website, but reports are widely circulated and displayed on the website of the Chair, as well as that of the HRA.
Details of Chairman, officers and the secretary are shown on the Register of All-Party Groups, along with a brief statement of purpose for the Group.
The Group encourages outside observers with an interest in the subject, and several come to our meetings and have the opportunity to contribute to the discussion. The reports are based on evidence taken directly from HRA, individual heritage railways, Government and regulators as well as other agencies such as tourism bodies.
Clarity of identity. In approaching speakers or those giving evidence, the Group makes clear that the Group is not a select committee, but an All-Party Group.
Financial. The Group is essentially a ‘free good’ for Parliament. The secretary is unremunerated, and no costs are involved in the programme of meetings or visits. Visits are hosted by the museum or railway being visited and members make their own way there. The costs of design and printing the Group’s reports is modest, particularly as most are now circulated electronically. They have in the past been met by HRA or by the Secretary and work out at around £500 per report.
Governance and Compliance. With the help of the officers of the Group, and because of his earlier experience as British Rail’s Parliamentary Affairs Manager, the Secretary of the Group well understands the requirements for the proper governance and compliance issues relating to the House.
The present system under the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, for registering and management of All-Party Groups and appointment of officers, works well in relation to APPGHR, with the requirement for an AGM as the basis for inclusion in the Register of All-Party Parliamentary Groups, and with overall responsibility lying with the Chairman of the Group.
For small groups like APPGHR, and particularly for those supported by volunteers, It is important not to increase further the administrative burden, and the requirements need to be commensurate with the real risks of any impropriety.
The Group is a great resource for Parliament and every encouragement should be given to encourage subject groups like this to continue their work and the value of such groups should be openly recognised. Over time, constraints have been imposed for good reasons, but further requirements for box ticking safeguards would be a disincentive to volunteers to continue with this support.
Compliance is essentially helped by the periodic advice from the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, and for the group is managed by the Chair with the support of the Secretary. Data protection Is an important issue and is managed by the Secretary.
Lobbying. There has clearly been a concern that All-Party Groups could become a basis for unwarranted access by lobbying organisations, but this is clearly not the case where those involved are unremunerated and there are no major commercial interests involved. In a small and focussed group like APPGHR, it would be difficult for lobbyists to operate as they would be immediately identifiable.
The Secretary of this Group has a Parliamentary Pass as the Vice Chair’s research assistant, in relation to railway issues raised in Parliament, but not specifically for the APPG. A Parliamentary Pass is useful to save time and to reduce the pressure on security staff, but is not essential to the working of the Group, particularly this year when all meetings have been ‘virtual.’
Benefits of APPGHR. The Group perhaps represents the best features of an All-Party Group and through its engagement with external bodies and individuals, is an excellent example of Parliamentary outreach. It is a source of useful information to Parliamentarians, and to civil servants, and, as the railways are largely dependent on the support of willing volunteers, there is no question of conflicts of interest or undue commercial influence being exercised. It is, indeed, an effective and positive way of linking Parliamentarians with the voluntary sector.
Heritage railways are regulated by the Office of Rail and Road, particularly in relation to safety, but unlike the national rail network, are not ‘sponsored’ by an individual department. They are relevant to the work of the DfT, DCMS, BEIS, DfE and DEFRA, with no department having overall responsibility for policy. Consequently, the Group has been able, on specific issues, to draw together these overlapping responsibilities and make connections that have helped both government and heritage railways.
Chris Austin, Secretary APPGHR
19 November 2020