Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the maximum authorised mass permitted for volunteer minibus drivers to over 3.5 tonnes.

Drivers wishing to operate a passenger carrying vehicle with 8-16 seats must have the D1 entitlement on their driving licence. For drivers using their car licence to drive a minibus where the licence was first obtained after 1 January 1997, this weight is limited to 3,500kgs. Many minibuses come under the proscribed weights and can therefore be driven using additional entitlements on a category B (Car) licence. Any decision to amend existing rules would require a careful assessment of the road safety implications and our international obligations. The Department has no current plans to conduct such an assessment.