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Concessions withdrawn Government told
Page 21
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THE Government has still not made up its mind about concessionary bus fares for school children.
This was reported in the Commons by Mr Ernest Armstrong, Under-Secretary for Education, who said that the Government was still waiting for the views of one local authority association on the report of the Working Party which had considered concessionary fares.
"We shall try to give the house our final judgment as quickly as possible," said Mr Armstrong. And he warned that the implementation of the regulations and rules to be made would be very difficult for local authorities. It was estimated that more than 400,000 pupils travelled between two and three miles to school each day at their parents' expense.
There was no easy or cheap solution to the problem, said Mr Armstrong.
Mr Armstrong was speaking during a debate started by Mr John Stanley (Tory, Tonbridge and Malling) who said that the situation was getting worse. Bus companies were increasingly withdrawing any form of concessions, including those to school children during peak hours, said Mr Stanley.