Hanafin defends bus safety record

THERE is no evidence that the lack of seat belts or the controversial policy of three students to two seats on school buses contributed in any way to the bus tragedy in Meath, Education Minister Mary Hanafin said yesterday.

On the day Taoiseach Bertie Ahern made private visits to the families of all five teenage girls who died in Monday’s terrible tragedy, the Government stood over its record on school bus safety.

Ms Hanafin, in her first comprehensive response to the tragedy, told the Oireachtas cross-party Education Committee yesterday that the Government would await the outcomes of the three inquiries being conducted before making any substantive decisions on bus safety policy.