§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has had from interested bodies about violence on late night transport; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsNone related specifically to violence on late night transport, although the general question of violence on buses and trains and the protection of their crews has been raised by a number of bodies, including most recently the Transport and General Workers Union.
516WThe Government are determined to see that all appropriate measures are taken to deal with this problem. The Public Service Vehicles (Arrest of Offenders) Act, which came into force in August 1975, is a small but significant addition to the powers available.
Recent information about the position in London is encouraging. The number of assaults on London Transport bus crews fell to 180 in the first nine months of this year: a reduction of 70 per cent. on the 595 assaults in the same period last year. The monthly average of some 24 assaults in the first six months of this year has fallen to some 11 assaults per month in the four months to the end of October.