§ 10. Dame Irene Wardasked the Minister of Education whether, following the survey carried out by the local education committee, his attention has been drawn to the number of faulty and defective bicycles ridden by school children in the county borough of Tynemouth; what plans he has, in the interests of road safety and to assist the prevention of accidents to children, to overcome this danger; and to what extent he has discussed this problem with the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.
§ Sir E. BoyleYes, Sir. Tynemouth Local Education Authority has taken steps to see that defects disclosed by the survey are remedied. My right hon. Friend will continue to encourage authorities and schools to take part in the national scheme for the training and testing of child cyclists in which emphasis is laid on the importance of making cycles roadworthy. My Department is in constant touch with the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation on matters affecting the road safety of school children.
§ Dame Irene WardCan my hon. Friend give us any information about whether local authorities in general carry out an inspection? Have there not been many posters encouraging parents to have a look at their children's cycles in view of the very high number of faulty cycles disclosed by the Tynemouth Borough's investigation?
§ Sir E. BoyleI am told that, apart from police checks, Tynemouth teachers supervise children's cycles periodically and talk to the children about defects in their cycles. The authority has recently distributed free to its schools a 592 number of copies of the Highway Code, and I am also told that road safety instruction is given in Tynemouth schools. I am paying a visit to my hon. Friend's constituency soon and I will make further inquiries then.