§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton on 19 April (WA 110) concerning their policy about the average age of bus fleets, why this safety policy applies only to England, Scotland and Wales and not to Northern Ireland. [HL2218]
§ Baroness Farrington of RibbletonThe policy of a target average bus fleet age of eight years is not, primarily, a safety policy but one directed at improving the accessibility of the fleet to disabled persons and others, and does not apply to the devolved administrations. At the time of the Deputy Prime Minister's announcement, devolution in Northern Ireland was imminent. Such policies would therefore have fallen to the Assembly to consider.