The Department for Transport (DfT) is a
department of
His Majesty's Government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
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, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
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, caption = Royal Arms
, date_est ...
responsible for the
English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been
devolved
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...
. The department is run by the
Secretary of State for Transport, currently (since 25 October 2022)
Mark Harper.
The expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport are scrutinised by the
Transport Committee.
History
The Ministry of Transport was established by the Ministry of Transport Act 1919 which provided for the transfer to the new ministry of powers and duties of any government department in respect of
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
s,
light railways,
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...
ways,
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface fl ...
s and
inland waterways,
road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
s,
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
s and
ferries
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
, and
vehicle
A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles ( motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles ( trains, trams ...
s and traffic thereon,
harbours,
docks and
pier
Seaside pleasure pier in England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.
A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out ...
s.
In September 1919, all the powers of the Road Board, the Ministry of Health, and the Board of Trade in respect of transport, were transferred to the new ministry. Initially, the department was organised to carry out supervisory, development and executive functions, but the end of railway and canal control by 1921, and the settlement of financial agreements relating to the wartime operations of the railways reduced its role. In 1923, the department was reorganised into three major sections: Secretarial, Finance and Roads.
The ministry's functions were exercised initially throughout the United Kingdom. An Irish Branch was established in 1920, but then was taken over by the government of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independ ...
on the transfer of functions in 1922.
The department took over transport functions of Scottish departments in the same year, though certain functions relating to local government, loan sanction, byelaws and housing were excepted. In May 1937, power to make provisional orders for harbour, pier and ferry works was transferred to the Secretary of State for Scotland.
The growth of road transport increased the responsibilities of the Ministry, and in the 1930s, and especially with defence preparations preceding the outbreak of war, government responsibilities for all means of transport increased significantly.
Government control of transport and diverse associated matters has been reorganised a number of times in modern history, being the responsibility of:
*1919–1941: Ministry of Transport
*1941–1946:
Ministry of War Transport
The Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) was a department of the British Government formed early in the Second World War to control transportation policy and resources. It was formed by merging the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Transpor ...
, after absorption of
Ministry of Shipping
*1946–1953: Ministry of Transport
*1953–1959: Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation
*1959–1970: Ministry of Transport
*1970–1976:
Department of the Environment
*1976–1997: Department of Transport
*1997–2001:
Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions was a United Kingdom Cabinet position created in 1997, with responsibility for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). The position and department ...
*2001–2002: Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions
*2002–present: Department for Transport
The name "Ministry of Transport" lives on in the annual
MOT test, a
test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
of
vehicle safety,
roadworthiness, and
exhaust emissions
Exhaust, exhaustive, or exhaustion may refer to:
Law
* Exhaustion of intellectual property rights, limits to intellectual property rights in patent and copyright law
** Exhaustion doctrine, in patent law
** Exhaustion doctrine under U.S. law, i ...
, which most vehicles used on public roads in the UK are required to pass annually once they reach three years old (four years for vehicles in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
).
Role
The Department for Transport has six strategic objectives:
* Support the creation of a stronger, cleaner, more productive economy
* Help to connect people and places, balancing investment across the country
* Make journeys easier, modern and reliable
* Make sure transport is safe, secure and sustainable
* Prepare the transport system for technological progress and a prosperous future outside the EU
* Promote a culture of efficiency and productivity in everything it does
The department "creates the strategic framework" for transport services, which are delivered through a wide range of public and private sector bodies including its own executive agencies.
Ministers
The DfT Ministers are as follows:
The
Permanent Secretary is
Bernadette Kelly.
2017 judicial review
Following a series of strikes, poor performance, concerns over access for the disabled and commuter protests relating to
Govia Thameslink Railway a group of commuters crowdfunded £26,000 to initiate a
judicial review
Judicial review is a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws, acts and governmental actions that are incom ...
into the Department for Transport's management and failure to penalise Govia or remove the management contract. The oral hearing to determine if commuters have standing to bring a judicial review was listed for 29 June 2017 at the
Royal Courts of Justice
The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is a court building in Westminster which houses the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The High Court also sits on circui ...
.
The attempted judicial review was not allowed to proceed, and the commuters who brought it had to pay £17,000 in costs to the Department for Transport.
Executive agencies
*
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
*
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
*
National Highways (formerly Highways England and the Highways Agency)
*
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
*
Vehicle Certification Agency
The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom Department for Transport, and is the UK's type approval authority.
VCA has been supporting the automotive industry since the early 1970s, with offices in the ...
(VCA)
Non-departmental public bodies
The DfT sponsors the following public bodies:
*
British Transport Police Authority
The British Transport Police Authority is the police authority that oversees the British Transport Police. A police authority is a governmental body in the United Kingdom that defines strategic plans for a police force and provides accountability ...
*
Northern Lighthouse Board
The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) is the general lighthouse authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas.
History
The NLB was formed by Act of ...
Transport Focus*
Trinity House Lighthouse Service
*
Civil Aviation Authority
A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register.
Role
Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles ...
*
Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise
Transport publications and data
DfT publications include the
Design Manual for Roads and Bridges and Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG, formerly WebTAG).
The DfT maintains datasets including the
National Trip End Model and
traffic counts on major roads.
Devolution
The
devolution of
transport policy varies around the UK; most aspects in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
are decided at Westminster. Key
reserved transport matters (i.e., not devolved) are as follows:
Scotland
Reserved matters:
*
Air transport
*
Marine transport
Maritime transport (or ocean transport) and hydraulic effluvial transport, or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers) or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by sea has been widely used throug ...
*
Navigation
Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...
(including
merchant shipping)
*
Driving and vehicle certification
*
Railways
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
(cross-border)
*
Road Numbering
Scotland's
comparability factor (the proportion of spending in this area devolved to the Scottish Government) was 91.7% for 2021/22.
Northern Ireland
Reserved matters:
*
Civil aviation
*
Navigation
Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...
(including
merchant shipping)
The department's devolved counterparts in Northern Ireland are:
*
Department for Infrastructure (general transport policy,
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...
s, roads, and rail)
*
Department of the Environment (road safety and the regulation of drivers and vehicles)
Northern Ireland's
comparability factor (the proportion of spending in this area devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive) was 95.4% for 2021/22.
Wales
Reserved matters:
*Railway Services
*
Air transport
*
Marine transport
Maritime transport (or ocean transport) and hydraulic effluvial transport, or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers) or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by sea has been widely used throug ...
including
Trust ports and
Hovercrafts
*Transport security
*
Navigation
Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...
(including
merchant shipping)
*
Driving and vehicle certification
*
Road Numbering
The department's devolved counterpart in Wales is the Minister for Climate Change.
Wales'
comparability factor (the proportion of spending in this area devolved to the Welsh Government) was 36.6% for 2021/22.
This represents a significant reduction (e.g. it was 80.9% in 2015) due to the controversial classification of
HS2 as an 'England and Wales' project.
See also
* ''
Julie'', a public information film of the department's "THINK!" campaign
*
DfT OLR Holdings, a DfT subsidiary acting as
operator of last resort
An operator of last resort is a business in the United Kingdom that operates a railway franchise, on behalf of the government, when a train operating company is no longer able to do so. , there are five such operators in England, Wales and Scotl ...
for nationalised railway franchises
*
Transport Direct
*
Transport Research Laboratory (formerly known as the Road Research Laboratory, then the Transport and Road Research Laboratory); now a privatised company
*
United Kingdom budget
*
Urban Traffic Management and Control The Urban Traffic Management Control or UTMC programme is the main initiative in the UK for the development of a more open approach to Intelligent Transport Systems or ITS in urban areas. Originating as a Government research programme, the initia ...
*
Rail transport in Great Britain
References
*
External links
*
{{Coord, 51.4946, -0.1293, type:landmark_region:GB-WSM, display=title
Transport in the United Kingdom
2002 establishments in the United Kingdom