Railways Act 1993

76 General duties of the Central Committee

(1) It shall be the duty of the Central Committee to investigate any matter which relates—

(a) to the provision of railway passenger services—

(i) by the Board or any subsidiary of the Board,

(ii) under a franchise agreement, or

(iii) on behalf of the Franchising Director, or

(b) to the provision of station services by any person in a case where the operator of the station in question is authorised by a licence to be the operator of that station,

if the condition specified in subsection (2) below is satisfied in relation to the matter in question.

(2) The condition mentioned in subsection (1) above is satisfied if—

(a) the matter is the subject of a representation made to the Committee by a user or potential user of railway passenger services and does not appear to the Committee to be frivolous or vexatious;

(b) the matter is referred to the Committee by the Regulator; or

(c) the matter appears to the Committee to be one which it ought to investigate.

(3) If any matter falling within paragraph (a) of subsection (2) above appears to the Central Committee to relate only to the provision of railway passenger services, or of station services, within the area of one consultative committee, the Committee shall refer that matter to the consultative committee for that area.

(4) If, on investigating any matter, the Central Committee considers it appropriate to do so, the Committee shall make representations to the person providing the service in question and—

(a) in the case of a service provided under a franchise agreement, to the franchisee, or

(b) in the case of a service provided on behalf of the Franchising Director, to the Franchising Director,

about the matter, or any matter to which it relates or which appears to the Committee to be relevant to the subject of the matter investigated.

(5) Where the Central Committee—

(a) having made representations under subsection (4) above, is of the opinion that it is unable to achieve a satisfactory resolution of the matter by that means, or

(b) on investigating any matter, has reason to believe that the holder of a passenger licence or a station licence is contravening, or is likely to contravene, any condition of the licence,

the Committee shall refer the matter to the Regulator, with a view to his exercising such of his powers as he considers appropriate in the circumstances of the case.

(6) Where the Central Committee investigates any matter—

(a) it may prepare, and send to the Secretary of State and the Regulator, a report of its findings; and

(b) it may publish any such report, unless the matter in question is one which was referred to the Central Committee by the Regulator as mentioned in subsection (2)(b) above.

(7) Where the Central Committee has investigated any matter under this section, it shall neither—

(a) include in any report or representations a proposal for any steps to be taken by any person in relation to that matter, nor

(b) refer the matter to the Regulator under subsection (5)(a) above by reason only of the failure of any person to take any steps in relation to that matter,

unless, balancing the cost of taking those steps against the benefits which the Committee considers will be enjoyed by any person in consequence of the taking of those steps, the Committee is of the opinion, on the basis of the information available to it, that the expenditure involved represents good value for money.

(8) The services which are to be regarded for the purposes of this section as provided on behalf of the Franchising Director are the same services as are to be so regarded for the purposes of section 37 above.

(9) In this section, any reference to railway passenger services includes a reference to bus substitution services required to be provided in place of any such services; and in this subsection, “bus substitution services” has the same meaning as it has in sections 120 to 124 of the [1985 c. 67.] Transport Act 1985.