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Written Question

Question Link

Wednesday 26th March 2014

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department's review of the proposed EU bus and coach regulation will consider representations from guide dog organisations about the needs of disabled people who use guide dogs on public transport.

Answered by Stephen Hammond

EU Regulation 181/2011 on bus and coach passenger rights came into force in all Member States on 1 March 2013. The Government took the decision to make use of a number of time-limited exemptions, including one exempting drivers from mandatory disability awareness training. However, we committed to review the use of this exemption in March 2014.

In order to inform the review, my Noble Friend, the Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Kramer wrote to the bus and coach industry on 24th February to establish the structure and effectiveness of disability awareness training courses used by various organisations and to assess whether a significant upward trend in the provision of disability awareness training amongst drivers has occurred since the exemption's application. Baroness Kramer has also sought input from a number of disability groups and charities (including Guide Dogs for the Blind and the RNIB) on the effectiveness of disability awareness training.