Jim Shannon

Thank you very much, Mr Turner. It is always a pleasure to be called, and to be called first is almost unique. In the Chamber I am usually last, but the last shall be first and the first shall be last, so in this case I am well ahead. I thank the hon. Member for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard (Alex Mayer) for raising the issue of the coach sector. I will speak about two significant coach companies in my constituency, what they do and what it means to the community. Across the United Kingdom, some 2,500 coach operators have faced a 46% increase in diesel prices since February this year. For many industries, the question is no longer how to turn a profit but how to stay afloat. Some 38% of coach companies say they are likely to withdraw from home-to-school transport contracts due to the rising operating costs, which have not been matched by the rates they receive. I am aware that colleagues on the Opposition Benches have some comments, and I look forward to hearing them, but the companies that I talk to tell me they are under pressure to try to deliver a contract that has been agreed, while diesel prices go through the roof. The pressures today are immense, and the consequences will be deeply felt by families and parents who face additional stress and the expense of finding alternative arrangements. In the rural community where I live, the buses and particularly the coaches are under incredible pressure because of some of the contracts. The challenges facing coach services will extend beyond the industry itself, as the hon. Member for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard said. Of course, fuel costs are not the only challenge. The proportion of unfilled coach driver positions stands at 12.4%—again, the hon. Lady referred to that. A community group in my constituency has done some excellent work in introducing men to the opportunity—very rarely is it a woman who takes on the job, at least in my constituency. It is mostly men, but the opportunity is there and people are encouraged. We must look again at scrapping the outdated restrictions on younger coach drivers. For instance, qualified 18 and 19-year-olds can drive HGVs without the same distance restrictions that apply to younger coach drivers. It is difficult to justify maintaining such restrictions when coach operators face a national recruitment shortage. Combined with an ageing workforce, the restrictions make the shortage even worse. We must support the economic contribution of the coach sector, which supports some 81,000 jobs and generates £6.4 billion in economic value. Allowing our coach services to fail would put people out of work and undermine local economies.