Stevenson Welcomes Positive Talks With UK Minister On School Transport Safety

Banff & Buchan MSP and Minister for Transport Stewart Stevenson has written to his Westminster counterpart, UK Transport Minister Mike Penning to see if legislation on school bus seatbelts could be transferred to Holyrood.

Mr Stevenson was speaking at a meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee. The meeting was also attended by Banffshire campaigner Ron Beaty.

Mr Stevenson said the Scottish Government had previously had talks on the issue with the UK Government "without getting any sense that that would be a request which if made would be accepted". However, with the recent change in the UK Government and positive talks with the new Minister, this is something that Mr Stevenson and Schools Minister Keith Brown would work on.

Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:

"Keith Brown, the Schools Minister, wrote to Mike Penning in June seeking to see what could be done in terms of legislative competence in terms of seatbelts.

"I think we`ve subsequently become aware of what has happened in Wales and how that competence has been given there.

"I`ve been discussing that this morning with the Minister from the UK Government and I think it is clear that is an area where we can make significant progress in terms of taking forward school bus safety."