Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the level of barriers facing community transport schemes as a result of minibus driver shortages.

The Department does not have statistics on minibus driver shortages. However, the Community Transport Association reports that there is a reducing number of drivers entering the sector and are, therefore, calling for amendments to minibus driver licensing.

The previous government consulted on driver licensing, which reflected on the pre-1997 position where car drivers were automatically granted a minibus entitlement. While there was support for extending driving licence entitlement, the evidence presented was not sufficient to fully understand the associated road safety risks.