§ Mr. Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what will be the effect of the second directive on driver licensing on voluntary and community service operations involving the transport of blind or handicapped persons by volunteers; when the directive will come 145W before the Council of Ministers; if it will be determined by majority vote; and what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on this aspect of the directive;
(2) what representations he has had from charitable and voluntary bodies on the impact on their work of the second directive on driver licensing;
(3) if he will invite the European Economic Community Commission to make plain the manner in which the proposed controls on minibus drivers in so far as they affect voluntary and charitable bodies in the United Kingdom will play a part in the promotion of the internal market; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyI wrote to my hon. Friend on 7 October.
The United Kingdom is committed to bringing its driver licensing system into line with other EC member states in accordance with the terms of the first EC directive on driver licensing (EC/1263/80). A second directive to complete the process is expected shortly. This is likely to require the introduction of common categories of driving entitlement on the lines formulated in the Vienna convention on road traffic in 1968.
The Vienna categories reduce the thresholds for vocational entitlement to include vehicles with more than eight passenger seats and light goods vehicles above 3.5 tonnes. Although existing drivers would not be affected, the introduction of these thresholds would mean that new drivers of minibuses and light goods vehicles would have to take a second test and meet higher standards of fitness.
Responses to the Department's consultation issued earlier this year indicated widespread concern among voluntary and community service organisations who depend on volunteer drivers. The operations of many such organisations would be severely curtailed because of the difficulty in getting volunteers with the required entitlement or the cost of training drivers to the higher standard. Since April, the Department has received over 600 letters on this subject with some 75 letters from MPs and MEPs.
The Government have made it clear to the European Commission that the proposed thresholds would create serious difficulties. The Commission has been formally advised of the need to preserve the existing arrangements for minibus drivers in the United Kingdom. Interested bodies are alerting their opposite numbers in other countries and pointing out the advantages of the United Kingdom arrangements for voluntary and community operations. A demonstration and a cavalcade of minibuses to Brussels is being planned by the various organisations for December.
The second directive is expected to come before the Council of Ministers very shortly. It is not expected that any single Member will be able to block the proposals.