§ 85. Mr. BUCHANANasked the Minister of Transport if his attention has been called to recent cases in the Hamilton Sheriff Court where conductors of motor omnibuses pleaded guilty to overcrowding of the same and were fined; if he is aware that it was admitted in the course of the trial that the employés had either to break the law or lose their jobs; and if he intends to include provisions to prohibit this practice in his forthcoming legislation?
§ The MINISTER of TRANSPORT (Colonel Ashley)My attention had not been drawn to the cases referred to by the hon. Member. If the draft Road Traffic Bill which I circulated some time ago becomes law in its present form, the maximum number of passengers to be carried in a public service vehicle would be governed by regulations made by the Minister of Transport, and if the owner of such a vehicle instructed his driver or conductor to carry passengers in defiance of the regulations, he would be guilty of an offence.