School Transport

House of Commons

Session 1997-98
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Others before Parliament

School Transport

This is the text of the School Transport Bill, as presented to the House of Commons on 13 May 1998

School Transport

ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES

Clause

1. Home to school transport plans.

2. Expenses.

3. Short title.

A
B I L L

TO
Make new provision with respect to home to school transport for pupils in maintained schools; to provide for the payment of grants to defray the costs incurred by local education authorities; and for connected purposes
BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

Home to school transport plans.     1. - (1) The Secretary of State shall by regulations-

(a) direct local education authorities to prepare and submit to him for approval home to school transport plans for their area; and

(b) require authorities to undertake such consultation in the preparation of the plans as he specifies.

    (2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) above, regulations may include specific directions to authorities to consult with-

(a) parents of children of school age, and

(b) the governing bodies of schools

within their area.

    (3) A home to school transport plan shall consist of a statement which sets out an authority's proposals for funding and organising transport for pupils for whom it provides education when travelling-

(a) from home to school, and

(b) from school to home

on the basis of need.

    (4) In preparing a home to school transport plan a local education authority shall take account of any relevant factors, including-

(a) the distance pupils travel from home to school;

(b) considerations of pupil safety;

(c) whether provision should be made for the recovery of expenses, and if so on what basis; and

(d) whether, or to what extent, the plan should extend to children in nursery education.

    (5) A home to school transport plan may include provision for a local education authority to recover from the parents of children whose education it provides the whole or any part of costs necessarily incurred by it in implementing the plan.

    (6) Regulations under this section may require local education authorities to submit home to school transport plans to the Secretary of State for his approval by a specified date and different dates may be specified for different authorities.

    (7) The Secretary of State may before approving a home to school transport plan make such modifications thereto as he thinks fit.

    (8) The Secretary of State may direct a local education authority to implement its home to school transport plan (whether modified by him or not) on or by a date which he has specified.

    (9) Regulations under this section shall include provision for the payment by the Secretary of State of grants to local education authorities to defray their costs in implementing or in preparing to implement a home to school transport plan.

    (10) The power to make regulations under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument and no such regulations shall be made unless a draft of them has first been approved by each House of Parliament.

Expenses.     2. There shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament-

(a) any sums required for the making by the Secretary of State of grants under this Act;

(b) any other expenses of the Secretary of State under this Act.

Short title.     3. This Act may be cited as the School Transport Act 1998.

© Parliamentary copyright 1998
Prepared 1 July 1998