Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to ensure that school minibus drivers have formal qualifications.

To drive a school minibus the driver must have the relevant driving licence entitlement. Drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 were automatically entitled to the minibus licence category D1(101), allowing them to drive minibuses not for hire or reward, such as school minibuses. Drivers who passed after 1 January 1997 are not automatically entitled to the minibus D1(101) category and may need to take a D1 driving test.