Robert Gifford

PACTS is a registered charity and associate Parliamentary group advising MPs and Peers on road, rail and air safety issues. Its charitable objective is 'To protect human life through the promotion of transport safety for the public benefit'. Its areas of activity comprise air, rail and road safety matters.

Robert is a member of the Ministerial Road Safety Advisory Panel. Since 1997, he has also acted as a special adviser on transport safety matters to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee. He sits on the Safety Advisory Board set up by the Rail Safety and Standards Board and on the National Steering Group of the Driver Offender Retraining Group. He is also an external research adviser for the Department for Transport on road and vehicle safety.

He is a regular lecturer on the transport safety conference circuit and a contributor to the media.

Prior to PACTS, he taught English for 13 years and spent six years as a policy officer with the National Union of Teachers. Between 1987 and 1995, he was a councillor on Milton Keynes Borough Council, including three years as Leader. He is still active in local politics, serving currently as chair of Stony Stratford Town Council, a position he has held since May 2001.

In terms of transport use, he holds a driving licence, commutes to work by train and tube, cycles occasionally and walks. He is married and his personal interests include cooking, gardening and the performing and visual arts.