§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards proposals in the EC Commission to make the manufacture of double-decker buses uneconomic or illegal. [56300]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonI do not know of any such proposals. However, the Commission has proposed a directive on bus and coach construction which is now the subject of detailed discussion by the Member States. My Department has consulted widely with organisations such as the Coach and Passenger Transport Executive Group,16W which represents bus and coach operators in the UK, and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which represents the major UK manufacturing interests. The representations from these organisations are being taken into consideration in the current negotiations.