UK Helmet Bill Fails
Mon Apr 26, 2004
Source: CyclingNews.com

Last Friday April 23 in the UK House of Commons, the compulsory helmet ruling proposed by MP Eric Martlew was quashed on a technicality. However, according to British cycle trade magazine and website, BicycleBusiness, the MP wants to form an all-party parliamentary group to push for compulsion at a later stage.

Despite strong arguments for and against Martlew's helmet ruling, the proceedings were brought to a halt by Eric Forth MP, Con, who believed there were not enough MPs in the House to vote in the division lobbies. Forth asked for the House to go into private session, a procedural device used to nullify a bill, and with less than the 40 MPs required in the chamber, the topic of discussion was ordered to move to the next item on the agenda.

BicycleBusiness' editor and publisher, Carlton Reid, said that although MP Eric Martlew has another chance to air his bill on June 18, his item sits tenth on the list, and "it's Commons knowledge that he won't get a chance to read his bill". "It's likely the government will take heed of this [anti-compulsion] argument and helmet compulsion legislation in the UK is now unlikely for years to come," said Reid.

For more details, see: www.bikebiz.co.uk

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