Vol. 467 No. 7
171 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment whether he intends to introduce legislation to restrict or ban the use of bull bars on vehicles in view of the concern being expressed in many countries in relation to their safety. [14403/96]
Type Approval Directive 74/483/EEC allows for the fitting of bull bars and this constitutes an obstacle to unilateral national action to restrict or ban their use. The Minister for Enterprise and Employment has, at my request, conveyed my concerns in relation to the road safety implications of bull bars to the European Commission which has had the directive under review. The Commission has now put forward proposals to amend the directive and my Department has furnished comments of a general and technical nature to the Department of Enterprise and Employment which deals with type approval matters. Every effort will be made to advance the proposals at EU level as quickly as possible.
