§ Mr. George Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will issue to Scottish local authorities a 498W circular, similar to circular, Roads 12/75 for England and Wales, clarifying implementation of section 8 of the Road Traffic Act 1974.
§ Mr. AncramWe have no plans to do so. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has made it clear to me that local authorities in Scotland consider they are able to discharge their statutory road safety duties capably and effectively and do not seek the issue of such a circular.
§ Mr. George Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied that implementation in April 1979 of section 8 of the Road Traffic Act 1974 has improved the level of provision of education, training and publicity in road safety in the period since then.
§ Mr. AncramWhile there is no ready means available to me of measuring such provision for Scotland as a whole, I believe that the imposition in 1979 of statutory road safety duties on regional and islands councils has had a generally beneficial effect. There has certainly been an encouraging downward trend in injury road accidents since 1979.