Working practices between the UK and Welsh Assembly governments in relation to cross-border policies appear much improved since the Committee's earlier reports on this subject. But a number of outstanding issues remain in transport, health and further and higher education. On transport the Committee welcomes the planned electrification of the Great Western Main Line. However, the Department for Transport appears to have washed its hands of any strategic responsibility for cross-border roads. The A483 is the clearest example of a road vital for travel within Wales but which is not important to the English region in which it is located, and as a result loses out on funding. The Committee stresses the need for comparative data on which to build solid research comparing NHS performance in the devolved nations. More needs to be done to raise public awareness of the differences in services people can expect to receive on both sides of the border. Transparency of information is vital. Research proposals in the UK Government's Higher Ambitions strategy for higher education make no reference to nations other than England, despite the UK-wide research remit of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Committee calls for details about how research funding proposals apply to all four nations.

Reply to the Committee's 3rd report session 2003-04 (HCP 458, ISBN 0215016262)

This report looks at the rail services in Wales, concentrating on intercity services, the award and proposal for the new Wales and Borders franchise and the division of powers between Westminster and Wales. Amongst the issues it highlights are the need for a new high speed link between England and South Wales; the slow speeds of the North Wales Main Line The report also welcomes discussions between the UK Government and the Welsh Assembly on a future Transport Bill for Wales and it recommends powers of guidance over the SRA be included in this Bill.

This Act is in six parts with 13 schedules and contains a number of measures to implement the proposals set out in the Government's White Paper ('The future of rail', Cm 6233; ISBN 0101623321) published in July 2004. These measures seek to address structural problems within Britain's railways system in order to establish a more simplified structure, and include: the winding up of the Strategic Rail Authority, with its strategic and financial functions being passed to the Department for Transport and the devolved administrations, and consumer protection activities taken over by the Office of Rail Regulation; and the transfer of rail safety functions from the Health and Safety Commission/Executive to the Office of Rail Regulation.