§ Mr. HobanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the draft bill on school transport will be published; what its principal provisions will be; what assessment has been made of the impact it will have on policies relating to transport to denominational schools of pupils of that denomination; what assessment has been made of the financial implications of the bill for(a) parents, (b) schools and (c) local education authorities; what assessment has been made of the effect it will have on the current providers of school transport; whether any of the 300W proposed changes will take place on a pilot basis; and what consultations have been undertaken by the Department. [142786]
§ Mr. Charles Clarke[holding answer 8 December 2003]: In September 2003 the Secretary of State for Transport and I published Travelling to School: an action plan'. It consulted on measures to cut congestion and pollution and promote healthier travel alternatives for pupils travelling to and from school, including plans for piloting new arrangements for school transport in a small number of exemplar authorities.
The draft school transport bill will invite local education authorities to run up to 12 pilot schemes providing flexible, safe, transport choices for pupils and parents. Pilot areas will be required to look at the needs of all pupils, not just those entitled to free transport, and pilots should reduce car use on the school run. We would particularly welcome bids that seek to support pupils travelling to denominational schools.
We will publish a draft regulatory impact assessment alongside the draft bill: it will consider the financial implications for parents, schools, local education authorities and current providers of home to school transport. Whilst precise financial assessments can not be made until we know what proposals are put forward the financial implications will be considered as part of the selection and subsequent evaluation of pilot areas.
We consulted on outline proposals in "Travelling to School: an action plan" and will consult on the draft bill and proposals for implementation in early 2004.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make it his policy to ensure that free school transport is available to the children of families who wish to exercise a choice not to attend a faith school and who have to travel outside their catchment area. [145519]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggWe have no plans to change the school transport legislation to require local education authorities (LEAs) to provide free school transport for pupils whose families wish to exercise a choice not to attend a faith school and who have to travel outside their catchment area. LEAs may choose to provide free or subsidised transport for pupils attending faith schools, or for pupils whose parents wish them not to attend a faith school, using their discretion to operate policies that meet the needs of their local communities.