HC Deb 30 July 1984 vol 65 cc84-5W
Mr. Gregory

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he has plans to amend the specification for buses and coaches to ensure a higher standard of safety;

(2) if the United Kingdom is a member of the United Nations committee which is seeking an agreement on improved international coach safety standards; when it is envisaged that the committee will report; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Chalker

The United Kingdom is represented on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe group of experts on vehicle construction, which will consider this autumn draft standards of safety for coach roll-over protection and seat strength including seat anchorages. The adoption of these standards will lead to an improved specification for buses and coaches.

Mr. Gregory

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of bus and coach drivers have passed the required medical examination held every five years after the age of 46 years to continue holding a public service vehicles licence in each calendar year since 1980 and in 1984 to the most convenient date; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Chalker

I regret that this information could be provided only in part and at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Gregory

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of buses and coaches failed the inspections, annual and spot checks, by his Department in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and to the most convenient date in 1984; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Chalker

Statutory annual testing of public service vehicles was not introduced until 1982. The results of informal yearly inspections carried out before then are not available.

Details of annual tests since 1982 and spot checks for the years requested are as follows:

1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1933–84
(1)
Number of PSV statutory annual tests n.a. n.a. n.a. 66,221 65,292
Number failed* n.a. n.a. n.a. 16,380 13,945
Percentage failed* n.a. n.a. n.a. 24.7 21.4
(2)
Number of PSV spot checks 19,966 19,888 18,595 19,210 18,987
Immediate prohibitions issued 1,079 1,548 1,228 1,185 1,004
Per cent. immediate prohibitions issued 5.40 7.78 6.60 6.17 5.29
Delayed prohibitions issued 471 474 1,298 1,449 1,349
*Delayed prohibitions issued 2.36 2.38 6.98 7.54 7.10
* These results exclude vehicles which had defects which were rectified during the course of the test.

Mr. Gregory

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information is available as to the causes of coach accidents in each year from 1979 to 1983; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Chalker

There is no systematic information on the causes of coach accidents. Figures for bus and coach casualties are given for the years 1972 to 1982 in tables 5 and 9 of "Road Accidents Great Britain 1982", available in the Library. Casualty rates per billion travel kilometres of buses and coaches—table on page 16—show these vehicles to be the safest form of road transport.

Mr. Gregory

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proportion and number of coaches are now fitted with a tachograph; and if he will make a statement;

(2) what information is available on how far the Bus and Coach Council's voluntary code of conduct on driving speeds is being adhered to; and if he will a make a statement.

Mrs. Chalker

The great majority of coaches are now fitted with tachographs, but precise figures are not available. A survey of coach speeds, using methods comparable to those of the national speed survey 1983, will be carried out at selected points on motorways and dual carriageways during the next few months.

Mr. Gregory

asked the Secretary of State for Transport why his Department does not differentiate between express and stage coaches in its data.

Mrs. Chalker

My Department differentiates between express and stage services in its data on vehicle mileage, passenger journeys and receipts and publishes the results in "Transport Statistics Great Britain". We do not ask operators to classify vehicles by type of service because within the year some are used for more than one type of service.