Accident may have been averted had contract been observed - minister

Last week's accident where a girl fell out of a school van may not have happened had a contract between the Education Department and school transport operators been fully observed, Education Minister Louis Galea told parliament yesterday.

Replying to a parliamentary question by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo, the minister said he had ordered an inquiry immediately after the accident in order to establish if the contractual conditions with the Public Transport Association, the Mini Buses Cooperative and the Unscheduled Bus Service Association were observed.

The agreement, he said, laid down conditions regarding safety, security, and the road worthiness and insurance of vehicles.

The agreement clearly established whose responsibility it was to ensure that the conditions were adhered to. It also established what type of vehicle - a minibus or a coach, should be used for every trip.

Dr Galea said that the inquiry was being chaired by the Education Ministry's former permanent secretary, Mr Paul Attard.

He said certain media reports after the accident were exaggerated, but there were questions which had to be answered, such as whether the vehicle used for the trip was the proper one. He did not wish to answer this question as that was up to the inquiry, but once the inquiry results were issued, the ministry would then see what steps it could take.

However, the driver's licence had been withdrawn pending the separate magisterial inquiry into the criminal responsibilities of those involved.

The minister said that even if there was a breach of contract, one should not condemn the whole system because, all in all, the transport service serving state schools operated in a reasonably good manner.