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SDLP Opposition Infrastructure Spokesperson Justin McNulty has warned that new laws to protect schoolchildren getting on and off buses cannot be allowed to run out of time before the end of the Assembly mandate. His comments follow confirmation from Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins that she intends to bring forward legislation on the overtaking of stationary buses this autumn, subject to Executive agreement.
The SDLP Opposition has repeatedly pressed for such a change, raising the issue in the Assembly and working alongside families campaigning for stronger protections.
McNulty said: "It is welcome that the Minister has finally committed to legislation, but we should have reached this point much sooner. The SDLP Opposition has consistently pressed for stronger school bus safety laws, and the focus now must be on getting this legislation through the Assembly."
He said families behind the campaign knew the terrible consequences when something goes wrong, adding: "They have put themselves through the pain of telling their stories and campaigning for change because they do not want another family to experience the same loss. Their voices have driven this issue forward and Stormont has a duty to respond."
The MLA added said there was now a real risk that the clock beats the Minister, and that with the mandate drawing to a close, she needed to show there was a credible path to getting the legislation passed rather than leaving it among a pile of unfinished business when the Assembly rises next spring.
He said: "We will work constructively to get these protections into law, while holding the Minister to account for the timetable she has set. This is a change that can make children safer, and it needs to be delivered."
