Department for Transport (DfT) | Law Careers | Government Legal Service | GLS

• Department for Transport (DfT)

  The challenges faced by the Department for Transport are among the most high profile and demanding faced by Government today. The economy continues to grow and, with it, the demand for travel. Overcrowding on railways and congestion on the roads are familiar to all of us. Air travel has trebled in the past 20 years. With an ageing population, the need for accessible transport increases.

  Access by public transport to jobs in rural areas is the key to tackling social exclusion. Security is vital in our domestic and international transport services, particularly post-September 11. Our lawyers, there are currently over 70 of us, play a vital role in tackling these issues.

  Our lawyers advise on a wide range of railway, road, aviation and marine issues, covering domestic, EC and International law. We help to create new legislation. We draft secondary legislation, including implementing European Directives. We are closely involved in developing and implementing policy, and advise on particular issues or cases as they arise.

  International work is an important part of what we do. European law, for example, influences how we operate. Increasingly, our lawyers are asked to travel to Brussels for negotiations, which might relate to a new Directive, a state aids case or a complaint to the Commission that the UK is not complying with EC law. Knowledge and application of the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights are also a feature of our advisory function.

  James Murphy

  Government Legal Service Secretariat

  04-10-2009

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