TRANSPORT minister Stephen Ladyman has insisted the Government is taking the issue of at-work road safety seriously and is working on employer guidance.

In an online Q&A on the Department for Transport website he was asked what steps he will be taking to ensure that, during their normal visits to workplaces, local authority and HSE inspectors will promote the guidance, ‘Driving at Work’, which the DfT and the Health and Safety Executive produced to encourage employers to include the management of at-work road safety in their normal health and safety practices.

Ladyman responded: ‘I'm talking to HSE and the minister who deals with this matter. They are aware of the seriousness of this issue I assure you.’

And when pressed to make the issue a greater priority he said: ‘This is a big issue - have you seen the report the Motorists' Forum did for us on this subject?

'I'm working with the forum to move this forward and we are also looking at how we can improve our guidance. In addition, we are developing a CD-ROM and web site to help get it over. There are a number of other initiatives in train.’

The Motorists’ Forum was launched in 2000 to ensure motoring interests and car users' views are represented properly in the development of both Government and local authority policies that could impact on motorists. It works within the framework of the Government's integrated transport strategy and sustainable development policy - but also in the light of the Deputy Prime Minister's statement that the car will remain the dominant mode of transport for personal use.