Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions officials or Ministers of his Department have had with bus company representatives on disability awareness training and EU Regulation 181/2011 since 9 January 2014.

Although there have been no meetings between Department for Transport Ministers or officials and bus company representatives specifically focussing on disability awareness training or EU Regulation 181/2011 since 9 January, my noble Friend, the Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Kramer has met bus industry representatives on a number of occasions to discuss a variety of issues, including bus accessibility. More specifically, on 27^th March 2014, Baroness Kramer attended the launch of the new RNIB ‘We're on Board' bus charter and gave a speech highlighting the importance of disability awareness training to an audience including several bus operators.

In addition, on 24 February 2014, as part of the Department's review of the derogation applied under EU Regulation 181/2011 exempting bus and coach drivers from undertaking mandatory disability awareness training, Baroness Kramer wrote to the Confederation for Passenger Transport (CPT) requesting information on the structure and effectiveness of disability awareness training courses currently offered and sought an update on the percentage of drivers that have completed this important training.