§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on his Department's policy towards the provision of special driving training for ambulance drivers; and whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of those relevant local authorities which do and do not provide such training.
§ Mr. AlisonTraining of ambulance staff, including drivers, is a matter for the local health authorities responsible for the provision of ambulance services under Section 27 of the National Health Service Act, 1946. Some guidance on driving competence and training was given in Part I of the Report of the Working Party on Ambulance Training and Equipment published in 1966, and notes on driver training have been issued to local authorities for the use of ambulance instructors. The Local Government Training Board are currently examining the possibilities of introducing further training for ambulance drivers. Detailed information about local authorities' arrangements for driving instruction is not centrally available.