HC Deb 15 June 1998 vol 314 cc30-1W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to allow(a) new and (b) recently diagnosed diabetic drivers to hold C1 licences for employment purposes. [44651]

Ms Glenda Jackson

None. The Honorary Advisory Panel on Diabetes and Driving has advised against such provision and the Government have accepted this advice. The Panel will continue to keep the situation under review, however, and would no doubt make revised recommendations if they judged that relaxation of this restriction would no longer jeopardise road safety.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to apply legislation retrospectively to allow those C1 licence holders who have recently lost their licences to drive small lorries and minibuses in the course of their employment. [44650]

Ms Glenda Jackson

It is the intention that the proposed scheme to allow insulin-treated diabetic drivers to renew entitlement to drive CI vehicles (lorries between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes), originally obtained with their car licence, if they meet the employment and medical criteria, would apply, to those who have lost the C1 entitlement since 1 January of this year as a result of suffering from diabetes treated by insulin.

Mr. Sanders

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to announce the operational mechanism that will allow existing C1 licence holders to renew their entitlement to drive C1 vehicles in the course of their employment. [44423]

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review legislation allowing C1 licence holders who drive small lorries and minibuses in the course of their employment to renew their licences subject to annual health checks. [44682]

Ms Glenda Jackson

A public consultation began on 9 June on the proposal to allow insulin-treated diabetic drivers who hold or have held entitlement to drive C1 vehicles by virtue of their car licence to renew such entitlement if they meet the employment and medical criteria.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will(a) backdate to 1 January the application of the decision to make the ban on certain C1 licence holders who have insulin-treated diabetes subject to annual health checks, (b) introduce a similar provision for new drivers and those recently diagnosed and (c) review the legislation to ensure parity of treatment for all groups affected by the ban. [45263]

Ms Glenda Jackson

I refer the hon. Member to the answers which I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock). The Government have no plans to extend the proposed scheme to other drivers, though the legislation is kept under regular review.