Transport Act 1968

45 Duty of Freight Corporation and Railways Board to review organisation

(1) It shall be the duty—

(a) of the Railways Board forthwith after the appointed day for the purposes of this section, and

(b) of the Freight Corporation forthwith after the appointed day for the purposes of section 1(1) of this Act,

to undertake a review of the affairs of the Board or, as the case may be, the Corporation for the purpose of determining whether the carrying on of their activities is organised, so far as regards the direction thereof, in the most efficient manner and to report their conclusions to the Minister, and so often thereafter as occasion seems to them to require it, or as the Minister may require, to undertake a further such review and to report similarly.

(2) Before reaching conclusions in consequence of a review undertaken in pursuance of subsection (1) of this section, the Board or, as the case may be, the Corporation shall seek consultation with organisations appearing to them to represent substantial proportions of, or of any class of, the persons in the employment of, or of any subsidiary of, the Board or, as the case may be, the Corporation.

(3) The first report under subsection (1) of this section by the Railways Board or the Freight Corporation must be made before the expiration of the period of twelve months beginning with the appointed day referred to in paragraph (a) or, as the case may be, paragraph (b) of that subsection or such longer period as the Minister may allow.

(4) The Minister shall lay before each House of Parliament a copy of each report under subsection (1) of this section.

(5) After considering any report made to him under subsection (1) of this section, the Minister may give to the Railways Board or the Freight Corporation or each of them such directions as, after consultation with the authority to whom the directions are given, appear to him to be requisite to secure that the carrying on of their respective activities is organised, so far as regards the direction thereof, in the most efficient manner.

(6) The Railways Board or the Freight Corporation shall not make, or permit to be made, any substantial change in the manner in which the carrying on of their activities is organised, so far as regards the direction thereof, except—

(a) in pursuance of a direction given by the Minister under subsection (5) of this section or under section 6(1) of this Act; or

(b) in accordance with a scheme duly approved under section 7 of this Act; or

(c) in accordance with an order under section 8 of this Act; or

(d) with the consent of the Minister.