So it’s official, at last. Nusrat Ghani is responsible for bus policy. I always suspected that most of the rather lower profile and ‘softer’ aspects of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) responsibilities would be given to her, given that she is an inexperienced MP, having only been elected in 2015.
I say ‘most of’ because she has also been given HS2, which is one of the more demanding and high profile aspects of the DfT’s portfolio.
Paul Maynard, who Nusrat Ghani replaces, was responsible for HS2, but he had more experience in parliament before getting onto the ministerial ladder, and at least had some knowledge of the issues.
That said, I suspect that Chris Grayling will do most of the heavy lifting on HS2 anyway.
Are buses soft?
I guess the industry might take issue with my comment that bus policy is a ‘softer’ area of the DfT’s policy responsibilities. I’m not saying it isn’t important. It is, not least because the bus is the most heavily used form of public transport.
It’s just that it does not have the same political profile and complexities as, for example, rail. Despite Labour’s occasional huff and puff from about re-regulating buses, nor does the industry get the same degree of political attention as rail, HS2 and aspects of road and aviation policy.
Buses have their occasional moment in the spotlight – as witnessed by the 2017 Act – but as a rule, buses have a far lesser profile compared with rail, and so it makes sense to give buses to Nusrat Ghani.
And, promoting general rail policy to Minister of State level by making Jo Johnson responsible for this toxic area makes total sense. I never understood why rail was given to Paul Maynard in the first place.
Minister for coaches
The coach industry might be wondering which minister is responsible for coaches. I’m pleased to tell you that no minister has been given specific responsibility for coaches.
I jest somewhat. As and when they arise, coach issues in London will doubtless fall to Jo Johnson as the Minister for London, while any Brexit issues for coaches (doubtless there are many) will presumably fall to Baroness Sugg, who has responsibility for the EU and Brexit. The coach industry need not panic.
So, life starts to settle down after the reshuffle. New ministers are slowly finding their feet and realising that being a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State is far less glamorous than they might have thought.
The endless parliamentary questions to answer, thousands of letters to sign, occasional speeches, while the Secretary of State gets all the glamorous and important stuff.
For Nusrat Ghani, her first really exposure to the bus industry will presumably be the impending Confederation of Passenger Transport’s Annual Dinner, if she turns up. Can’t wait!
