DoT men take their seats

Ministerial responsibilities at the Department of Transport have now been shared out following last week's reshuffle which brought in Brian Mawhinney as Secretary of State for Transport.

Mawhinney has overall responsibility for the Department's financial planning and environmental aspects.

John Watts, Minister of State for Railways and Roads, gets railway issues and road infrastructure policy, including national roads and the Highways Agency.

London transport issues stay with Steven Norris who holds his post as Minister for Transport in London. He is also Minister for Local Transport and Road Safety.

Viscount Goschen, Minister for Aviation and Shipping, covers airports and maritime matters including ports. He handles all DoT business in the House of Lords.

l John Major's new Parliamentary Private Secretary is John Ward, a former Taylor Woodrow director (see picture).

After joining Taylor Woodrow in 1958 as a civil engineer, Ward found himself involved in nuclear power projects, including Hinckley Point.

Promotion saw him become a director of Taylor Woodrow Arcon which builds prefabricated steel-framed buildings, mainly for export.

Elected to Parliament in 1979, Ward stayed with Taylor Woodrow until 1992.

In that year he succeeded Sir Michael Latham as chairman of the all-party Parliamentary construction group.