Govt offers Mr Gair job

Press, 16 August 1984, Page 2

Govt offers Mr Gair job

By OLIVER RIDDELL in Wellington

A former National Minister of Transport, Mr Gair, has been invited by the Labour Government to be chairman of the newly established Parliamentary Select Committee on Road Safety.

The new Minister of Transport, Mr Prebble, said road safety was a matter that the public did not want to see associated with party politics. Traditionally, members of the Government had chaired all select committees, he said. However, this meant that the Government, Parliament and the public were denied the benefits of what positive contributions the Opposition could make. Having an Opposition member chair this important select committee would be a statement from Parliament to the public that it had a united stand on road safety. Mr Gair was just as sincere on the subject of road safety as he was, Mr Prebble said, and could

make a valuable contribution.

His recommendation on Mr Gair’s appointment would be taken to the Government caucus meeting this morning. Mr Gair said that if he were offered the chairmanship, he would accept it. “I would discuss it with my caucus colleagues but I don’t see them or the Opposition being opposed to it in any way because of the long history of the road safety committee as bi-partisan and non-political,” he said. He said both Mr Prebble and he had been members of the committee chaired by Mr M. J. Minogue under the previous National Government.

Mr Gair said he had not been approached officially

by the new Government. The committee would have five questions to answer:—

• How to extend and strengthen the Ministry’s road safety education programme in primary schools?

e How to promote adult defensive driving courses on a regular refresher-course basis?

• How to upgrade driver training and licensing procedures for new drivers? • How to increase the number of traffic officers deployed during high risk periods and in areas with abnormally high accident rates?

© How to extend and strengthen the deployment of “alcohol-impaired driver” squads?