* Absent friends
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After all that has emanated from the Ministry of Transport about road safety in recent years, you may be as surprised as I was to learn that the only official UK representative to attend the International Road Safety Conference in Brussels at the end of September was the head of an area road safety unit from the Welsh Office. Especially as there were delegates from 20 countries in attendance, and a very full four-day-agenda. But not a soul from the MoT or the Road Research Laboratory.
And in view of the frequent official quoting of European examples as a reason for cutting drivers' hours, my informant was amused— but not surprised—to hear a senior Belgian Government official remark in private that the whole European move towards shorter hours was really started by Mrs. Castle through the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, and that the trade unions had been quick to jump on this particular bandwagon, which was now rolling strongly. It's an opinion that is not exactly new, but I'm fascinated to know that it is accepted in such high places.