Road Safety Bill [Lords] |
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Dr. Ladyman: My hon. Friend is right; I will encourage the Committee to reject the amendment. That is not because I do not have sympathy for it. The Government support strongly the raising of the level of first aid proficiency in the population, but if the objective is to ensure that the population of the country is better informed about first aid, the driving test is not the appropriate place to force it on them. By all means let us campaign to include first aid in the national curriculum. By all means let us make courses widely available for people who wish to attend. But let us not try to tag it on to a test that tests only people’s competence to drive without causing accidents. 6.45 pmThat is not to say that the subject should have no part in the test. It should, which is why we include a substantial number of questions relating to first aid and accident management in the question bank from which questions are drawn for the theory test. It is therefore likely that those taking the test will have questions on first aid and accident management. Anybody who is swotting for the test must assume that they can reasonably expect to be asked such questions, and must therefore have learned the basics of first aid and accident management. We are already doing quite a bit to encourage people to be aware of what they can do in an accident situation. However, making a golden question out of first aid is a disproportionate response, because it will test people on something completely divorced from their driving skills. That will have an impact on their ability to get a driving licence, when the failure rate for driving tests is already significant. The pass rate is only 43 per cent. Failure affects people’s employment and their quality of life. Column Number: 232 The rigid provisions in amendment No. 83, with which my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, South (Mr. Harris) has sympathy, are not appropriate. I hope that my hon. Friend will accept the assurance that that does not mean that we cannot do anything. DfT officials have had meetings with the British Red Cross and St. John Ambulance to discuss the possibility of increasing the number of questions in the test and other ways that we might reform it to ensure that people have more experience of first aid matters. I have even made an offer to those organisations. We are prepared to consider the cost of distributing an interactive DVD on first aid and accident management in the learning materials that we routinely sell through bookshops and stationers. People use those learning materials to swot for the hazard perception test and the theory test. A pack of interactive DVDs for those tests retails at around £8. If it will not substantially increase the cost of that pack to include an equivalent interactive DVD on first aid, I am prepared to consider it. I am not making any commitment, but I am prepared to consider it and any other ideas that St. John Ambulance and the British Red Cross might come up with. However, I am not prepared to make it an absolutely rigid requirement that people should be tested on something that is essentially ancillary to their driving skills. I hope that after those assurances, the hon. Gentleman will withdraw his amendment. Mr. Paterson: I am disappointed by the Minister’s response. My point was that the most basic, elementary knowledge of first aid can save lives—I mentioned the four minutes. In the light of the comments made by the hon. Member for Glasgow, South, I think that there might be support in the House for my amendment. I am happy to acknowledge my total indebtedness to the Red Cross and St. John Ambulance for their briefing and background information. I should like to discuss it further with them and return to the subject on Report. For the time being, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 36, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 37 Disqualification until test is passed Mr. Paterson: I beg to move amendment No. 84, in clause 37, page 46, line 4, after ‘fit’, insert
We want all the statements and declarations of the representative organisations, once they have been consulted, to be made public. We simply want to know the range of opinion and that the Government have not cherry-picked the opinions. While the Minister is on his feet, will he also address our concerns about subsection (3), which says that the Secretary of State may prescribe, by regulation, the circumstances relating to “appropriate driving test”? As he knows, Opposition Members do not like
Dr. Ladyman: Once again, I encourage the Committee to resist the amendment. I cannot immediately provide the information that the hon. Gentleman seeks, but I am happy to write to him to clarify the situation. I hope that that will be sufficient reassurance to enable him to seek to withdraw what I am sure is only a probing amendment. Column Number: 234 Mr. Paterson: It is a probing amendment, but that is a pretty unsatisfactory explanation. Given the hour, I shall graciously seek to withdraw the amendment, but I would like to get a detailed letter on the questions that I put to the Minister. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 37 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 38 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Further consideration adjourned.—[Mr. Roy.] Adjourned accordingly at eight minutes to Seven o’clock till Tuesday 18 April at half-past Four o’clock. |
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