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| Archbishop of Wales joins calls to amend measure |
| Wednesday, 18 June 2008 | |
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Welsh Conservative AM Alun Cairns today welcomed support from the Archbishop of Wales to give pupils and faith and Welsh medium schools the same right to free transport as those elsewhere in the state sector. In a letter to Transport Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones, the Most Reverend Dr Barry Morgan says he shares the concerns of AMs that some schools could be excluded from new regulations proposed in the Learner Travel Measure. The committee scrutinising the proposals is due to meet in the National Assembly tomorrow. Alun Cairns, wrote to the Transport Minister to express concern over the Measure which he claims currently discriminates against children attending faith and Welsh medium schools. Mr Cairns has tabled a series of amendments to the measure to force the Assembly Government to include Welsh medium and faith schools in the proposals. These amendments come after several meetings with the family of Stuart Cunningham-Jones, who died in a school bus crash in the Vale of Glamorgan in 2002. The South Wales West AM has also warned that the plans fail pupils with special education needs. Mr Cairns said: “I am pleased to see the Archbishop of Wales has backed our amendments to the Measure. “Having spoken to representatives of the Church in Wales and the Catholic Church I know they are worried children will in essence be punished for attending these schools. “While this Assembly Government Measure is to be welcomed it is vital that it is all inclusive. “Faith schools have long played a part in Welsh education yet these proposals appear to discriminate against pupils, parents and schools. “All children deserve the right to get to school safely and that is what these amendments seek to ensure. “This measure cannot protect the rights of some of our children and not others, depending on what sort of school they attend.” |
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