§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) following the statement of the then Minister for Transport on 4th February 1976, what consultations he has undertaken with interested organisations on coach safety requirements; what proposals have emerged for more rigorous standards of braking performance and new requirements for roof strengths and escape hatches; and if he will make a statement;
(2)what progress has been made in line with the statement of the then Minister for Transport on 4th February 1976 for providing stronger coach roofs;
(3)what progress has been made in line with the statement by the then Minister for Transport on 4th February 1976 for the provision of roof emergency hatches on coaches;
(4)what progress has been made in line with the statement of the then Minister for Transport on 4th February 1976 in providing a wider range of minimum brake performance standards for coaches;
(5)what progress has been made in line with the statement by the then Minister for Transport on 4th February 1976 in strengthening procedures for vehicle testing and coach operation licensing;
(6)what further consideration he has given to coach seating arrangements, the design and strength of seats and seat belt installation for certain seats, following the statement by the then Minister for Transport on 4th February 1976.
§ Mr. HoramThe regulation on roof strengths, roof emergency hatches, and seat arrangements to which I replied on 4th February 1976 has been formally annexed to the 1958 Geneva Agreement as ECE Regulation No. 36. Discussions are now taking place with industry and with representatives of other Governments to develop common test procedures for checking compliance with the regulation, and its provisions will then be incorporated in the Public Service Vehicles172W (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) Regulations 1972. In the meantime research into the phenomenon of roof collapse continues both in this country and abroad, and the results will be submitted to the UN/ECE as a basis for incorporating new or revised provisions.
International discussion on improvements in braking standards continues: when agreement is reached my right hon. Friend will take steps to introduce the new standards into the Construction and Use Regulations.
Proposals for an ECE regulation on coach seats are being drafted in consultation with industry. They deal with the strength of seats designed to retain passengers within the seat spacing in the event of an accident, and their capacity to absorb the energy produced by an impact. Research has also been commissioned into the practicability of providing seat belts for the driver and those passengers who occupy seats which are not set behind an energy absorbing structure.
So far as testing and licensing are concerned, an EEC directive has now been approved under which public service vehicles will have to be tested every year. We will seek an early opportunity to enact the legislation needed to implement this directive, and we have it in mind to impose certain other requirements designed to ensure that testing facilities are adequate and that effective steps are taken to correct faults in maintenance. During the course of this year my right hon. Friend intends to lay regulations introducing standards of professional competence, including knowledge of vehicle maintenance and other road safety requirements, for all licensed operators of public passenger transport services.