§ Lord CLIFFORD of CHUDLEIGHasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they approve of the action of the Devon County Council in withdrawing the school bus for primary school children of Abbotskerswell without making available a "safe walking lane" between their houses and their schools in Newton Abbot.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, DEPARTMENT of EDUCATION and SCIENCE (Baroness Young)Decisions made by local authorities about school transport do not require ministerial approval. I understand that Abbotskerswell children of primary school age attend the village school and no school transport is needed for them. Until recently the Devon authority provided free passes on the public transport service for senior pupils from the village attending secondary schools in Newton Abbot even though the distance involved is less than 3 miles. In accordance with the policy now adopted by Devon this concession has now been withdrawn. The authority have made special arrangements in the country for considering representations by parents, including questions of safety, and the availability of public transport is one of the matters which is taken into account.