HC Deb 21 July 1952 vol 504 cc33-4

The following Question stood upon the Order Paper:

Mr. CLEMENT DAMES,—TO ask the Minister of Education if she will make a statement with regard to the accident in Montgomeryshire on Monday, 14th July, when the vehicle conveying schoolchildren overturned and children were injured.

The Minister of Education (Miss Florence Horsbrugh)

With your permission, and the permission of the House, Sir, I should like to answer Question No. 67.

I have now received a copy of the police report on this distressing accident. The facts are that a school bus, carrying 17 schoolchildren to Leighton County Primary School and five children to Welshpool Secondary Modern School got out of control on a steep hill and overturned. All except one child were hurt and conveyed to Welshpool Hospital. The position today is that all except four have been discharged from hospital. Two are in Welshpool Hospital, and their condition is satisfactory; one is in Gobowen Hospital and is making satisfactory progress; the remaining child is in Shrewsbury Hospital and I regret to say that his condition is still serious.

I am sure that the House would wish to express its sympathy with the parents of these children.

Mr. Davies

I am sure that everyone In the House will desire to join with the right hon. Lady in expressing sympathy with these young children and with their parents, but may I ask if she is satisfied that sufficient precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of children while they are being carried, as so many thousands are being carried? Does she think that special precautions might be taken to ensure the efficiency of all these vehicles by a regular inspection of them, because the lives and safety of the children are involved?

Miss Horsbrugh

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport that there are no special regulations prescribing the standards of roadworthiness for school buses as such, but under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act. 1930, a vehicle cannot be licensed as a public service vehicle unless a certificate of fitness has been issued in respect of it. A certificate is issued only after inspection by a vehicle examiner or certified officer of the Minister of Transport who is a qualified technical officer.

Mr. Davies

Is the right hon. Lady aware that special precautions are taken in other countries with regard to the carriage of children? Will she look into this and see whether it is not necessary to extend the precautions already taken?

Miss Horsbrugh

I will certainly look into any point which the right hon. and learned Gentleman asks me to examine.

Sir H. Williams

On a point of order. We are all, naturally, sympathetic with those who have suffered, Sir, but there are about 800 accidents every day on the roads and if those of us who wish to exploit constituency circumstances—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Yes—by asking questions about motor accidents in our constituencies the entire machinery of Parliament will be brought to an end. I have thought about this for many years and I want to know whether this exploitation of constituency circumstances by asking questions about accidents ought not to have some limits applied to it

Mr. Davies

May I ask you, Mr. Speaker, to accept my assurance, as I am sure the House will, that I had no intention whatever of exploiting anything or anybody?

Mr. Speaker

This is not a Private Notice Question and I would not have allowed it as such on the information before me. It was a Question on the Paper which was not reached and the Minister asked my permission to reply to it, as she is quite entitled to do. I thought that, as schoolchildren were involved, I should allow it.