Rail Regulator launches new Safety and Standards Board, and announces Chairman and Chief Executive
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1 April 2003 The Regulator, Tom Winsor, today announced that the new Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has begun work. Agreed modifications have been made to licences held by train operators, infrastructure contractors and Network Rail to enable RSSB to take up its functions. Mr Winsor also announced the names of the Chairman and Chief Executive of the new organisation. This follows a selection process involving a panel of leaders from across the industry (passenger and freight train operators, Network Rail, suppliers, the Strategic Rail Authority, the Health and Safety Executive and the Rail Regulator). Denis Tunnicliffe CBE is to be part-time chairman of the new organisation; Len Porter will be Chief Executive. The Regulator said: "Today's announcement is another example of the industry working together to improve the railway. Establishment of RSSB was a key recommendation of the Cullen inquiry into the Ladbroke Grove disaster, and reflecting its importance, the appointment process has been led by a group of industry leaders who interviewed all short-listed candidates. Denis Tunnicliffe and Len Porter face the important task of building up RSSB as a rail industry body, but one which is seen as independent and prepared to challenge the industry." The Regulator also paid tribute to the work done by Railway Safety since it was established in January 2001. He said: "We all recognise the excellent work done by Railway Safety over a whole range of safety issues, and the respect it has earned. The new Board will be able to build on this." Notes for editors: 1. Lord Cullen's inquiry into the tragic accident at Ladbroke Grove recommended that the Rail Regulator should take forward, with the industry, the establishment of a new safety body, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB). The Regulator's first consultation document was published on 20 December 2001, the second on 16 October 2002 and his conclusions on 24 February 2003. 2. The interview panel for the appointments comprised members of the group of six industry leaders (Christopher Garnett, Chairman of the Association of Train Operating Companies; Philip Mengel, Chief Executive of English Welsh and Scottish Railway; John Armitt, Chief Executive of Network Rail; Richard Bowker, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Strategic Rail Authority; Timothy Walker, Director General of the Health and Safety Executive; and Tom Winsor, Rail Regulator), along with Paul Kirk, Managing Director of Carillion Rail and Chairman of the Railway Forum. 3. Denis Tunnicliffe CBE, born in 1943, joined BOAC as a co-pilot after graduating with a maths degree from University College London. He flew VC10's and B747's for 6 years before joining the management team of the newly created British Airways. He held senior positions in industrial relations, planning, procurement, marketing and strategy. In 1986 Denis joined International Leisure Group as head of the aviation division. In 1988 he became Managing Director of London Underground, joining some nine months after the Kings Cross tragedy. He served in that role for ten years before becoming chairman of LU and Chief Executive of London Transport, a position he held until its break up in year 2000 with the inception of Transport for London. During this period he was responsible for major programmes of safety, quality and efficiency improvements, safety and renewal investment, the construction of the Jubilee Line Extension and finally, the restructuring of LU and LT. In 2002 he joined the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority as non-executive chairman. The Authority is responsible for the safe environmental restoration of its old research sites and the supervision of the UK's fusion research including the world leading European facility at Culham. Denis has a wife, an educational researcher, and two adult sons. 4. Len Porter is currently Director for Global Transportation Business at Lloyd's Register and a director of Lloyd's Register MHA Ltd. Following an early career in the 1970s as a metallurgist in the aviation sector, several years were then spent as a project engineer, project manager and commercial diver on worldwide offshore oil and gas infrastructure inspection and maintenance contracts. This experience was used in the early 1980s to set up a successful engineering risk assessment and asset integrity management company which was acquired by Lloyd's Register in the mid-1990s. For the last five years has been responsible for developing Lloyd's Register's services in the rail sector and is currently Lloyd's Register's Director, Global Transportation Business. Len was born in Stockton on Tees and is married with three teenage children. 5. The Regulator's conclusions and formal consultation on the proposed licence modifications Establishment of a rail industry safety body: Notice of proposed licence modification and Regulator's conclusions were published on 24 February 2003. This document is available to download from the right hand side of this page. 6. The first consultation document Establishment of a rail industry safety body: A consultation document was published on 20 December 2001.This document is available to download from the right hand side of this page. 7. The second consultation document Establishment of a rail industry safety body: provisional conclusions was published 16 October 2002. This document is available to download from the right hand side of this page. All of these documents are also available from the ORR Librarian, Sue MacSwan, 1 Waterhouse Square, 138-142 Holborn, London EC1N 2TQ, tel: 020 7282 2001, fax: 020 7282 2045. Press enquiries: ORR Press Office : 020 7282 2002/2007 |
