Vol. 501 No. 4
100 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the plans, if any, he has to introduce legislation which would make seat belts in buses, especially school buses, compulsory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6391/99]
Current road traffic regulations require the fitting of seat belts in all forward facing front seats in all minibuses, including those used as school buses, which have a design gross vehicle weight not exceeding 3,500 kilogrammes and are first registered on or after 1 January 1992. Under EU Directive 96/36/EC, member states will be allowed from 1 October 1999 to require that all seating positions in new passenger vehicles with seating for more than eight persons, excluding the driver, are fitted with seat belts: vehicles designed to accommodate standing passengers are excluded. The adoption of this requirement would, inter alia, involve the phasing out of the present 3:2 rule which applies to school buses.
As indicated in the Government Strategy for Road Safety 1998-2002, I intend, in consultation with the Minister for Education and Science, to bring forward proposals for enhancing school bus safety; these will be the subject of a public consultation process before finalising action.
