§ Dr. Glynasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the fitting of tachographs to school buses is not required.
§ Mr. David HowellI have no power specifically to exempt school buses as such from the tachograph or the442W drivers' hours European Community regulation. However, when operating on regular services—for example, to and from school—school buses are exempt by virtue of article 4.3 of the drivers' hours regulations—EEC—No 543/69. Moreover, it is strongly arguable that these regulations do not apply to privately owned and driven vehicles. It is very unlikely that a school bus owned by a body such as a parents' association and driven non-professionally would be prosecuted in this country for not having a tachograph or that any attempted prosecution would succeed.
The European Commission is currently reviewing the drivers' hours and tachograph regulations and the Government will press for clarification of their terms.