Commentary on Sections Power to alter national concession etc Section 8: Variation of scope of the national concession
26.This section secures that the Secretary of State can amend relevant parts of the 2000 Act and the 1999 Act by order to expand the scope of the national concession in the ways stated. Elements of this power already existed under section 147 of the 2000 Act in respect of the previous concession available outside London, and have been restated so that any amendment to the national concession can be synchronised both inside and outside Greater London. The Secretary of State could use these powers, for example, to extend the national concession to any further categories of people who are eligible to be offered concessions under discretionary travel concession schemes set up under section 93 of the 1985 Act, or to other modes of public passenger transport. There is also a new power to provide that a concession other than a waiver of the fare (e.g. a discount) can be offered to any new class of person made eligible for the national concession by order under this section. Concessions offered to such new classes of person can also be offered at any times specified, and those offered to people currently eligible can be made available at more (but not less) generous times.