§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD RATHCAVANMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they can say what has been the total sum collected from the parking meters in the London area since this scheme was started; and how the money so received has been spent.]
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD CHAMPION)My Lords, local authorities are not obliged to tell the Government about their parking meter finances, but we understand from the Greater London Council that £3,185,561 was received from these schemes up to March 31, 1965; £2,422,758 was spent on running them and £392,713 has been put towards providing or maintaining off-street parking. This leaves about £370,000 spread over seven London boroughs, in the form of funds carried forward and so on. These are total figures and include any losses that local authorities have made on some of their schemes.
§ LORD RATHCAVANMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, might I ask this? Do the figures that he has given include not only the money actually placed in the meters but the fines on people who overstay their time?
§ LORD CHAMPIONMy Lords, I have not got advice from the Ministry of Transport on that particular point, but if I remember rightly normally the fines imposed go into the Treasury and are 570 swallowed up in that way and not attributed to or received by local authorities.
§ VISCOUNT BRENTFORDMy Lords, can the noble Lord give us from those figures any indication or estimate of the length of time which will be necessary for local authorities to provide adequate off-street parking within the area of London?
§ LORD CHAMPIONMy Lords, this is an entirely different question, and I would not care to answer it from these figures which have been given. The Act of 1960 only told local authorities that they could use any surpluses they got in this way for the purposes of providing and maintaining off-street parking and to make up deficits on parking schemes which they have. I could not answer the noble Viscount's question now; if he cares to put something down I will try.