I will begin by confirming that UKIP will be supporting this motion today. You will, of course, not be surprised that I wish to point out that this debacle is the result of European Community regulation 1071/2009, which is being imposed on the UK and takes no account that community transport is an almost unique British solution to plugging gaps in our commercial transport provision. The Department for Transport interpreted the regulation in such a way as they saw the term 'not for profit' and 'non-commercial' as one and the same. This interpretation has been in force since 1985 and has been the regime under which community transport has been operated. European Union rules do not make this distinction, and herein lies the severe problems facing our CT operators.

I'm sure that all in this Chamber will acknowledge the huge positive impact that community transport has on many communities and people, particularly those with special needs, which include the elderly, the isolated and the disabled, as well as providing much-needed transport for many social activities, including sporting occasions. Any regulation that puts financial or strategic pressure on the community transport operators is an unwelcome intervention.

The community transport fraternity has put in place its own industry standards, and there is no evidence to suggest that it is any less safe than ordinary commercial operations. Indeed, there is much evidence to show that they go further than some commercial operations with regard to training staff, for instance, on the use of disability equipment and specific interaction with disabled people.

If the Department for Transport is forced to adopt these EU regulations, CT operators will be faced with considerable costs to implement these measures, particularly in the short term. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that both the Department for Transport and/or the Welsh Government provide the funds for this transition period. The consequences of not providing this funding could be catastrophic for community transport operators, with many of their services closing. As has been said, data shows there is a £3 return for every £1 invested in CT. It would be unthinkable that this funding would not be made available.

Lastly, the uncertainty that now exists with regard to regulation and funding is already affecting community transport operators with regard to retaining staff and long-term strategy. We call upon the Department for Transport and on the Welsh Government to commit to funding any operational changes.