Department for Transport

Chairman of the Office of Rail Regulation named
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date 8 Jan 2004 00:00
source Department for Transport
type Press release

Today it was announced that Chris Bolt will be the Chairman of the Board at the new Office of Rail Regulation.

This Board will be independent of Government and will have the same functions and duties as the current Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, whose term comes to an end in July 2004.

Announcing the appointment Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said:

"I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Bolt to be the Chairman of the new Office of Rail Regulation. Chris has a wealth of railway and regulatory experience and will bring the range of skills and experience necessary for this challenging job.

"In line with the other regulated industries, this is a move from an individual Regulator to a Regulatory Board as I announced in June 2002. The new Board is building upon the current board advising the Regulator, so aiding a seamless transition."

Tom Winsor has invited Chris Bolt to join the Rail Regulator's advisory board as a non-executive director until he takes over as Chairman in July. Mr Bolt will also be helping the Department in the selection of the other members of the new statutory board.

Notes to Editors

1. Biography

- Chris Bolt, 50, is currently the Tube PPP Arbiter. He was appointed to that post in December 2002 for a four year term. Previously he was Group Director of Regulation and Public Policy at Lattice Group, and a Director of Transco plc. He is an economist and senior manager with direct experience of the water, rail,
telecommunications and energy sectors and wide knowledge of Public Private Partnership (PPP) and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts.

- He also held senior roles in Ofwat (from 1989 to 1994) and subsequently ORR, and was appointed temporarily as Rail Regulator from December 1998 to July 1999. He then joined Transco as Regulation Director, before taking up his role in Transco's parent company, Lattice, in November 2001.

2. The Office of Rail Regulation

- The change from an individual regulator to a regulatory board brings the ORR into line with other economic regulators, following a recommendation in July 2001 by the Better Regulation Task Force. The Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling, announced this decision in a Parliamentary Answer on 12 June 2002.

- Powers to set up the new Office of Rail Regulation are provided by the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003.

- The appointment as Chairman of the Office of Rail Regulation is a part- time one of five years duration, which can be renewed. Chris Bolt's appointment as PPP Arbiter is also part-time, and he will continue to hold that post.

- The process to select and appoint the Chair came under the remit of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, with independent assessors approved by OCPA checking the process and taking part in the selection panel.

Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk

Railhub Archive ::: 2004-01-08 DfT-001