NOVA.SCOTIA (CBC) - A minor car accident involving the teenage son of a Nova Scotia cabinet minister is raising questions about who should be allowed to drive government-leased vehicles.

The issue came up after Community Services Minister Judy Streatch's son damaged her new SUV last weekend.

Streatch said it was a "non-thinker" to let 17-year-old Jordan take the Ford Escape hybrid instead of a family car.

"We just made the decision," she said Tuesday. "We thought we were within the policy so he took that vehicle."

As it turns out, Streatch didn't have the proper authorization for her son to use the SUV, even though she said she was told he could.

Transport Minister Murray Scott said the government's current vehicle leasing policy is to ask for written permission, but he added that not a single cabinet minister has done that.

"There's a policy that none of us have been following, that I don't know anyone was even aware of. I'm sure if everyone was aware of it, someone would have been following the policy," he said.

Scott promised a review of the government's vehicle leasing policy to ensure the rules are clear. He also said he would make sure politicians and employees were aware of those rules.

The last review, prompted by former cabinet minister Ernie Fage's fender-bender in November 2006, focused on car leases.

But Scott said this one will look at the entire policy.

Streatch to pay for repairs

Streatch told reporters about her son's crash on Monday, saying insurance would cover the repair costs because she had bought a personal premium that allowed him to drive the SUV.

The minister will now pick up the tab to repair the vehicle.

Streatch said she didn't know until now that taxpayers would have had to foot the bill under the province's self-insurance program.

"I understand the way the insurance works now for the province and I will reimburse the government for that. It's not a typical insurance policy whereby a company, a nameless company, is responsible," she said.

Son en route for ice cream

Streatch said her son was on his way to the store to buy ice cream Saturday when he took a corner too fast and crashed the SUV in a ditch.

She said her son and his girlfriend, who was also in the SUV, are fine, but the vehicle probably sustained thousands of dollars of damage. The SUV is at a repair shop being assessed.

Streatch told reporters Monday she was disclosing the accident because she wanted to avoid any suggestion of a coverup. She said she was "deeply disappointed" that her son showed poor judgment and apologized for embarrassing the government and her family.

NDP house leader Frank Corbett called on Streatch to pay the repair bill herself, saying government-leased vehicles should only be used by ministers or employees and only for government business.

"If something has happened to it when it was out of those parameters, such as a family member driving it when they weren't doing that business, then that minister should be on the hook for it personally," Corbett said Monday.

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