BREED SPEAKS OUT: "Inadequate Public Transport Provision Fails our Students"

12.18.00pm GMT Tue 15th Jan 2008

Colin Breed MP with local sixth form students

Colin Breed , Liberal Democrat MP for South East Cornwall will today speak to the House on the impact of an unreliable and expensive public transport system on Cornwall 's young students. The cost, in terms of money and time, of getting to colleges from rural locations is continuing to rise, with journeys of two hours not uncommon. The Government appears content to shift the burden of provision onto local colleges, taking more money away from education budgets. This is unsustainable in the long term. Current trends show an upsurge in car ownership amongst 17-19 year olds. There are major implications of this, in terms of environmental damage, congestion on roads not designed for large numbers of cars, and an increase in accidents with inexperienced drivers using poor roads in slippery conditions.

Colin Breed said:

"The Government want all teenagers to have access to good education, but the time and effort some rural students take simply to get to school puts many Cornish students at a distinct disadvantage.

It is patently unfair that a Cornish teenager can expect to pay around £5 a day for the privilege of a two hour, multiple-bus ride to school whereas a similar student in London benefits from free and readily available public transport. The public transport infrastructure in Cornwall has seen chronic underinvestment since privatisation, and unless the Government channels more money to the region, this is only going to get worse.

I expect the Government to clarify who is responsible for provision, the scope of cover and where the funding for it will come from, if it is to meet its commitments to 14-19 year olds in education."