HC Deb 27 October 1997 vol 299 cc708-9W
Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will advocate an EU-wide ban on bull bars during the British presidency of the Council of Transport Ministers in January 1998. [12321]

Ms Glenda Jackson

The UK has already made its opposition to aggressive bull bars very clear to our European partners, and has strongly supported the Commission's proposal for tackling them through an amendment to the external projections directive. However, the opposition to this initiative from certain member states has demonstrated that if we are to tackle the bull bar problem quickly we will have to take action at a national, rather than a European, level.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he intends to take to control the use of bull bars. [12322]

Ms Jackson

We have concluded that we must look seriously at tackling aggressive bull bars at a national level. We are currently consulting widely on options for action with the aim of identifying a way forward that is both practicable and effective.