Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends the British Transport Police Force Scheme 1963, which makes provision for the organisation of the transport police, to take account of the reorganisation of the railways pursuant to the Railways Act 1993 (“the 1993 Act”). The principal amendments—

(a)

enable the British Railways Board (“the Board”), the employer of the transport police, to make agreements with various persons for making the services of the transport police available to those persons (article 4). The main class of person concerned is the class comprising new operators of rail services under the 1993 Act;

(b)

enable any dispute which arises between the Board and those persons in relation to the transport police to be determined by the Minister (article 8);

(c)

enable the body which has taken over responsibility for the management of the rail network from the Board to appoint a member to the British Transport Police Committee (which is responsible for the administration of the transport police) (article 6(a) and (b)).