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CTA's April 08 e-bulletin for Northern Ireland

Welcome to the new style e-bulletin for members of CTA throughout Northern Ireland.

CTA AccessNI service.
Access Northern Ireland (AccessNI) is the new Northern Ireland government body that will provide criminal history information to employers. It opened for business on 1 April 2008.

It enables organisations in Northern Ireland to make more informed recruitment decisions by providing information about anyone seeking paid or unpaid work in certain areas, such as working with children or vulnerable adults.

Access NI replaces the old POC/POVA system administered by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

The CTA is registered as an umbrella body with AccessNI and can deliver all the necessary services on behalf of members in Northern Ireland, including processing the disclosure applications.

For more information or to register to use the CTA AccessNi service please email jayne@ctauk.org or tel 028 9040 3535.



Clash over transport bill
A clash between parties threatened the progression of the Local Transport Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons on 26 March.

Transport minister Rosie Winterton said the bill would "empower" communities and give a "stronger voice" to passengers.

But the Conservatives argued that plans for local authorities to take responsibility for possible local road charging schemes would be an added tax for drivers.

The transport minister said the Tories' objection showed how "out of touch they are with the real concerns of people in the country today".

Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers added that the bill would take the country's bus network in the wrong direction.

The CTA is concerned about any delay to the bill and will be writing to Theresa Villiers to point out how important the provisions contained are for community transport organisations.

A detailed examination of the bill takes place in the Commons on 22 and 24 April.



CTA influences Department for Transport strategy
We are playing our part in development of the Department for Transport's plans for its work after 2014.

A white paper setting this out, which is due to be published by the Department for Transport at the end of the year, will examine five key policy areas that transport influences.

These are: productivity and competitiveness; climate change; safety, security and health; quality of life; and equality of opportunity.

The CTA is particularly interested in ensuring equality of opportunity is provided by transport across the country and our chief executive, Keith Halstead, has already taken part in a discussion forum with other organisations about this, chaired by one of the department's key directors.

A green paper to precede the white paper will be published in June and the CTA will provide a formal response to this.


Change of website and emails
Please note that our web address is now www.ctauk.org. The old web address now no longer works.

This means that our email addresses have also changed. From now on, any emails for CTA staff should start with a name and end in @ctauk.org



New programme launched
Our new CTA membership programme was launched on 1 April and will give bigger and better benefits to all members.

The package has been devised following a survey last year, which showed that most of our members were satisfied with their service, but some felt its value could be improved.

The new programme is based on four key areas: influence, being informed, development and advantage. Up to 22 benefits available in the five categories of membership relate to one or more of these areas.

We will contact you directly to suggest which of our new membership categories best suits your needs.

For more information about the packages available, visit www.ctauk.org/membership


Access08
This year's CTA event, Access08, takes place from 28 to 30 October at Manchester Central and looks set to be one of the best yet.

It will feature a series of individual events with our partners, including Help the Aged and Wheels to Work, as well as the country's biggest community transport exhibition.

There will also be a new range of masterclasses focused on key issues for community transport organisations.

Our annual awards ceremony at the Midland Hotel, opposite the main venue, is sure to be one of the highlights. Transport minister Rosie Winterton has confirmed that she will be a guest at this prestigious event.

The CTA's annual general meeting will also take place as part of the three-day event.

See http://www.ctauk.org/index.aspx?id=1242


Community Transport Association UK
website: www.ctauk.org

Northern Ireland Office
CTA NI
Graham House
Knockbracken Healthcar Park
Belfast
BT8 8BH
Tel 028 9040 3535
email: jayne@ctauk.org

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