Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 46: To ask the Minister for Transport his plans to proceed with the European Union proposals to require safety belts to be fitted to all seats in all new vehicles except for buses used on stage stop routes as approved in May 2005 by the European Parliament, ahead of directives legally requiring the State to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21241/05]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Transport his plans to introduce any new regulations for children's safety on school buses in view of the recent bus crash tragedy in Meath; if he has received the report from the Health and Safety Authority into the crash; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21213/05]

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 68 together.

Last month's approval by the European Parliament of proposals to extend the requirement for safety belts to be fitted to all seats in all new vehicles, except for buses used on stage stop routes, opens the way for the proposals to be adopted as directives by the Council of Ministers. Given that the date by which seat belts must be fitted in new buses will not be settled until the proposals have been adopted as directives, the question of requiring safety belts in new buses at an earlier date cannot be fully assessed at the present time.

In accordance with EU Directive 2003/20, which must be transposed into national law by 9 May 2006, seatbelts must be used where they are fitted. From that date, unless a derogation is secured, the three for two rule, which permits three children to be counted as two passengers when reckoning the passenger capacity of a school bus going to or coming from school or school related activities, will no longer apply in respect of any school bus fitted with safety belts. No such derogation has been sought by Ireland. The Department of Education and Science has made it clear that the three for two arrangement, which only applies to about 14% of the 138,000 school children transported every day, will be phased out as soon as is practicable.

The investigation by the Health and Safety Authority is one of three separate independent investigations in regard to last month's bus accident in County Meath. The other investigations are being carried out by the Garda Síochána and Bus Éireann. I understand that all three investigations are continuing and I will be assessing the implications of the outcome of these investigations for road safety policy when they have been completed.