§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice his Department has given to British coach drivers on adhering to French regulations on coach travel during coach accident memorial days. [131692]
§ Mr. McNultyThe Department is aware that the French authorities place a restriction on coach travel during a weekend in late July or early August, annually. The date of the ban changes year-to-year, but during the 24-hour period of application, coach groups of more than 15 children under the age of 16 years are prohibited from travelling. The restrictions were originally put in place due to a number of serious coach accidents occurring at this time of year, which is traditionally the busiest weekend for transporting French children and heavy holiday traffic.
The French authorities notify the British Embassy in Paris once the date of the ban is confirmed. They in turn pass this information to the UK trade association, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), for further dissemination amongst the UK coach industry. This information would also be available from the French Embassy and industry publications. Therefore, the Department does not pass this information to UK coach operators.