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FURTHER details have emerged regarding the delayed timetable for transition of British Waterways to the third sector as the Canal & River Trust, writes Allan Richards.
Government are now saying openly that the probable launch date for Canal & River Trust will be June subject to two caveats.
Ministerial statement
The ministerial statement made by the waterways minister, Richard Benyon, as read out in the Lords yesterday, (Tuesday) ended by saying 'Subject to satisfactory conclusion of outstanding issues, the Government plan to lay the order to transfer statutory functions from British Waterways to the Canal and River Trust in Parliament at the end of February. Subject to Parliament's approval, we hope to see the new charity launched in June'.
It is already known that the transfer order will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny via a super affirmative resolution procedure (Canal & River Trust in doubt—narrowboatworld 14/1/2012). However, what many did not appreciate was that issues exist which prevent the transition order going before the House immediately.
Freedom of Information Act
One of the issues is the difficulty in making Canal & River Trust only partially subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Currently, bodies are subject to the Act simply via inclusion in a schedule, and changes will have to be made to the act itself to provide specific exemptions for Canal & River Trust.
It is rather surprising that government has chosen this route as a very clear majority of respondents to its supplementary consultation wanted Canal & River Trust to be fully compliant.
More decision notices
The information Commissioners' office is now saying that it will issue either five or six decision notices, rather than just two (Freedom of Information farce—narrowboatworld 20/1/2012) in respect of British Waterways' repeated breaches of the Freedom of Information Act. |
