§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates he received letters from officials of the Transport and General Workers Union requesting meetings to discuss the European driving licence directive, 91/439/EEC; what was his response; and if he will make a statement. [23066]
§ Mr. NorrisThe national secretary of the road transport (commercial) division of the Transport and General Workers Union wrote to me on 22 January commenting on the new eyesight standards for drivers of large goods vehicles and passenger carrying vehicles and requesting a meeting to discuss this; I received a further letter on 22 February again requesting a meeting. I replied fully to the first letter on 6 March setting out the considerations underlying the new requirements and did not therefore consider that a meeting could usefully take matters forward. I confirmed this in a letter of 13 March. I replied to a further letter, dated 11 March, on 18 March.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated concerning the number of (i) fatal and (ii) other accidents, concerning the drivers of heavy goods vehicles in each of the last five years; and in respect of how many such accidents the cause was attributed to the heavy goods vehicles' drivers wearing glasses, contact lenses, or having below standard eyesight. [23076]
§ Mr. NorrisI refer the hon. Gentleman to the replies that I gave to earlier questions covering the same issue, recorded in theOfficial Report dated 6 February, column 302 and 8 February, columns 157–58.
§ Mr. DixonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his oral statement of 6 March,Official Report, column 306, if he will name the 95 bodies consulted; and which bodies were in favour and which opposed to the continuation of grandfather rights. [22891]
§ Mr. NorrisThose consulted are as listed.
BUSINESS
- 1. Trade Associations
- (I) General Business Interest
- Alliance of Small Firms and Self Employed People
- Association of British Chambers of Commerce
- CBI
- CBI Wales
- CBI Scotland
- Forum of Private Business
- National Chamber of Trade
- The National Federation of Self Employed and Small Businesses Ltd.
590 - (II) Trade/Employers Associations
- Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators
- Association of Tanker Container Operators
- Association of Local Authority Bus Managers
- British Association of Removers
- British Retailers Association
- British Road Federation
- Building Employers Federation
- Builders Merchants Federation
- Coach Operators Federation
- Community Transport Association
- Construction Plant Hire Association
- Dairy Trade Federation
- Federation of Public Passenger Transport Employers
- Freight Transport Association
- Institute of Road Transport Engineers
- National Owner Drivers Association UK
- National Playbus Association
- Road Haulage Association
- Showman's Guild of Great Britain
- Wales Community Transport Operators Association
- 2. Employees Representative Bodies
- Fire Brigades' Union
- National Joint Committee for Young Large Goods Drivers
- National Union of Road Transport Operatives
- National Union of General and Municipal Workers
- Road Transport Association
- Trades Union Congress
- Transport and General Workers Union
- United Road Transport Union
- 3. Insurance Industry
- Motor Insurers Bureau
- Association of British Insurers
- Lloyds Motor Underwriters Association
- 4. Motor Trade
- Retail Motor Industry Federation
- Scottish Motor Trade Association Ltd.
- Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd.
SPECIALIST
- 1. Medical
- Association of British Dispensing Opticians
- Association of Optometrists
- British Medical Association
- College of Ophthalmologists
- The Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians
- Medical Committee on Accident Prevention
- Society of Opticians
- 2. Road Safety
- Accident Officers Association
- Association of Independent Road Safety Officers
- Association of London Borough Road Safety
- Officers Institute of Road Safety Officers
- Parliamentary Advisory Council of Transport Safety
- Road Operators Safety Council
- Safety Training Advisory Council
591 - 3. User/Transport Interest
- Confederation of Passenger Transport UK
- Institute of Transport Administration
- Motorcycle Action Group
- National Advisory Unit for Community Transport
- Pedestrians Association
- Scottish Community Transport Group
- 4. Motoring Organisations
- Automobile Association
- Royal Automobile Association
- . Driving Instructors
- Approved Driving Instructors
- Approved Driving Instructors of Scotland
- Driving Instructors Scottish Council
- Institute of HGV Driving Instructors
- Institute of RAC Registered Instructors
- Motor Schools Association of Great Britain
- National Association of Approved Driving Instructors
- Road Transport Industry Training Board
- 5. Others
- Keep Death Off Our Roads (K-Door)
- National Council for Civil Liberties
- 6. Press
- Commercial Motor Magazine
- Motor Transport Magazine
GOVERNMENT/PUBLIC AUTHORITIES
- 1. Central Government
- Department of Employment
- Home Office
- Department of Environment, Northern Ireland
- Welsh Office
- 2. Police
- Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)
- ACPO Scotland
- 3. Courts
- Justices Clerks Society
- 4. Local Authorit
- Association of County Councils
- Association of District Councils
- Association of Metropolitan Authorities
- Association of London Authorities
- Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
- London Boroughs Association
- National Association of Local Councils
- Welsh Office of the Association of District Councils
- Committee of Welsh District Councils
- 5. Others
- States of Guernsey
- Isle of Man
- States of Jersey
Sixteen of the above organisations responded: 11 supported abolition of grandfather rights; five opposed. We did not advise those consulted that their responses might be made public and therefore in line with established practice individual respondents are not identified.
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