§ Dame Jill KnightTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether coach safety was discussed at the informal Transport Council on 15 July. [36629]
§ Mr. WattsThe matter of coach safety was added to the agenda of the informal Transport Council following the recent tragic accidents in France and the United Kingdom.
I stressed the good safety record of buses and coaches and the value of spot checks such as our recent Operation Tourist crackdown in enforcing both standards of maintenance and drivers' hours regulations.
I called upon all member states to give a greater commitment to reaching agreement on the proposed directive to require the fitting of seat belts on all new coaches and minibuses and referred to the consultation on our proposed regulations covering the fitment of seat belts to minibuses and coaches used for the transportation of children.
I acknowledged the need for further work on standards to be set for bus and coach construction but defended the British double decker against any suggestion that it had any inherent safety problems.