Mrs Thatcher urged to hurry school transport review
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• Mrs Margaret Thatcher, the Education Minister, is being urged to hurry up the report of the working party reviewing the arrangements for free school transport.
In the Commons last week several MPs looked for an early publication of the report — Mr James Scott-Hopkins (Tory, Derbyshire West) asked for it to be issued before the end of the Parliamentary summer recess. The matter had been on the stocks for a long time, he pointed out, and there was a great deal of dissatisfaction.
Mrs Thatcher said it was too . early to forecast how long the working party would take to complete its work — it was important that it should be able to do a thorough job.
A good deal of information had to be acquired, but she promised to bring MPs' remarks to the attention of the working party.
Mr Dennis Skinner (Labour, 13olsover) noted that the working party's terms of reference included the high cost of travelling just inside the three mile area, and said it was absurd for local authorities to stick to the rigidity of the Education Act.
This resulted, in one instance in his constituency, in children having to travel over bleak, remote countryside just inside the three mile limit or having to pay as much as £.1.20 in bus fares.
Did Mrs Thatcher not think there should be less rigidity in the remaining few months until the working party issued its report, asked Mr Skinner.
The Minister replied that there was not a great deal of rigidity, because local authorities had discretion to pay transport fares within the statutory limits. It was up to them whether they exercised that power.