MP Appeals To Minister Over School Mini Bus

10.04.03am GMT Thu 27th Nov 2003

MP Vincent Cable has taken up with the Minister, on behalf of sports teachers in local schools -and in particular Whitton Sports College- a problem with new legislation which means that growing numbers of teachers are no longer allowed to drive minibuses.

School sport is being affected as fewer teachers are able to take teams around to sports events. Under a new ruling stemming from legislation in 1996 teachers who qualify to drive cars do not automatically qualify to drive D1 vehicles. To obtain a D1 licence - including absence from school for a special driving licence - can cost £1500 which few individuals or schools can afford.

Vincent Cable has written to the legal affairs minister, Lord Faulkner, to ask him to intervene before a problem becomes a crisis. "Here is a piece of legislation which has clearly not been thought through and urgently needs revisiting. The absurdity is that if the teachers were volunteers rather than professionals they would not be covered by these rules at all"