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A bill that would raise the driving age to 16 is almost certain to go to a select committee for public submissions now that the Government has decided to support it on its first reading.
The bill has been drafted by United Future leader Peter Dunne and is expected to be debated for the first time next month.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday the Cabinet had discussed the legislation and decided it should go to a select committee.
Bills are sent there for study after they pass their first reading.
"Our general view is that the bill should be introduced and we would give it our support at that stage," the PM said at her post-Cabinet press conference.
"Then there's a whole lot of issues that have to be put on the table, and they're not raised lightly."
Helen Clark has previously spoken about problems with raising the driving age from 15, and she again raised concerns about young people on farms.
"There's the traditional use by young teens of farm transport. They sometimes have to go on to roads that connect bits of the farm," she said.
"There are issues about it. I think the best place for those to be aired is in the select committee."
Other parties in Parliament are understood to be considering allowing their MPs to cast conscience votes on the bill.
Helen Clark said the Cabinet had not discussed Government MPs doing that. "I should say it's not a traditional conscience-vote area."
Mr Dunne drafted the bill after Transport Minister Annette King suggested he should find out how Parliament felt about the driving age.
He first raised the issue because he was concerned about the number of fatal accidents involving young drivers.
- NZPA
