LTSA and Transfund functions to be split

10.50am

The functions of the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) and Transfund will be split as part of a transport sector shake-up announced today.

Transport Minister Pete Hodgson said the policy functions of the LTSA and Transfund would be transferred into the Transport Ministry and their operational functions would be brought together in a new agency.

There would be few, if any, job losses.

The move would allow the ministry and the new agency to take a more cohesive approach to the New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS).

"In particular, the safety programme and national land transport programme will be integrated," Mr Hodgson said.

LTSA's relationship with its various service agents would remain unchanged once its operational responsibilities were transferred.

There would be no significant changes for Transit, and no change to the safety and regulatory roles of the Maritime Safety Authority, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission and the Civil Aviation Authority, including the Aviation Security Service.

However, their scope would be widened to take the NZTS into account.

"The new structure will reduce fragmentation, enabling the delivery of better, more co-ordinated and responsive, sustainable transport outcomes," Mr Hodgson said.

National's transport spokesman, Maurice Williamson, congratulated Mr Hodgson on the announcement, which he said dealt with "two of the agencies that I think needed a bit of a blow torch down the Y-fronts".

But he felt there would have been a better fit combining road builder Transit and the LTSA instead of the LTSA and Transfund.

Public Service Association (PSA) national secretary Paul Cochrane said New Zealanders stood to benefit from the changes to the transport sector, but he questioned if the review had gone far enough.

He said the PSA had participated in the review.

"Overall, PSA members thought some sensible structural consolidation and strong networking arrangements between organisations would greatly enhance the sector's ability to deliver the Government's transport strategy by 2010."

Mr Cochrane said the PSA was pleased months of speculation about the review outcome was over.

- NZPA