Following a pre-appointment hearing on Monday, the Transport
Select Committee has endorsed the Secretary of State’s choice of
candidate for the Chair of the ORR, Declan Collier. Today,
the Committee publishes a short report to document the decision.
The Committee concluded that Mr Collier’s extensive experience in
the private sector, having worked at a senior level in the energy
and transport sectors, means he has the professional competence
and personal independence required for the role.
In evidence to the Committee, the former chief executive of
London City Airport, acknowledged that the rail and road sectors
and performing a regulatory function will be new to him. The
Report says Mr Collier will face a ‘sharp learning curve’ but
this should not prevent his appointment, provided the board
overall had sufficient breadth of experience. Given the
challenges facing the road and rail sectors, and Mr Collier’s
lack of experience in these sectors, MPs felt he should
commit to spending more than two days a week in the role, if
required.
The position of Chair of the ORR - the independent regulator for
the rail network, also responsible for monitoring the work of
Highways England, is currently the only appointment made by the
Secretary of State following a pre-appointment hearing by a
parliamentary committee.
The Committee calls for a wider range of posts – such as the
chairs of the Civil Aviation Authority, Network Rail and HS2 – to
be subject to such hearings to improve public confidence in the
process and increase the accountability of ministers to
Parliament.
Chair of the Transport Committee, MP, said:
“Having heard from Mr Collier in written and oral evidence, we
welcome his nomination for the role of Chair of the ORR and
support his appointment. That said, there are challenges ahead
for Mr Collier, not least of which will be getting up to speed on
the road and rail sectors as quickly as possible. We wish Mr
Collier every success in his new post.
“The Committee is struck by the fact that the Chair of the ORR is
the only post subject to a pre-appointment hearing by the
Committee, while top posts at other similar regulatory and
delivery bodies in the transport sector are not. There is no
rationale for this. The Department must either accept that
pre-appointment hearings should take place for a wider range of
roles, or clearly explain why they are excluding important public
appointments from parliamentary scrutiny.”
