CHILDREN'S SAFETY IN COACHES AND MINIBUSES

EDM number 1040 in 1993-94, proposed by Joan Walley on 19/04/1994.

That this House congratulates the Belt Up School Kids organisation on its national lobby of Parliament calling for greater safety for children in coaches and minibuses; notes the recent launch by the honourable Member for Holborn and St. Pancras and the honourable Member for Stoke-on-Trent North of the `Safety in Transit' campaign for safer coach and minibus travel, including installation of seatbelts in minibuses and coaches, licensing of coach and minibus drivers, an end to the `three for two' rule for children in coach and minibus seats and a full PSV test for voluntary operated minibuses; further notes that this campaign was launched with the support of Belt Up School Kids, the British Road Federation, the Bus and Coach Council, the Community Transport Association, the National Union of Teachers, the RAC and RoSPA; welcomes the fact that as part of this campaign, the honourable Member for Holborn and St. Pancras wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport calling on him to convene urgent discussions with all interested organisations to find a way to make travel safer for Britain's coach and minibus passengers; deplores the fact that the Secretary of State turned down this offer from the honourable Member for Holborn and St. Pancras saying `it would not be wise to consider making further regulations in this area'; and calls on the Secretary of State to reconsider this ill-judged decision and take immediate action to improve rapidly safety for all passengers using coaches and minibuses.

This motion has been signed by a total of 103 MPs.