§ 23. Mr. BATEYasked the Minister of Transport how many of the 200 young men who have been dismissed from their employment as drivers in the northern area owing to the Road Traffic Act, 1930, have been licensed as conductors?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONI have no knowledge of these cases beyond my hon. Friend's statements, and have no means of discovering how many men who were unable to satisfy the requirements in respect of minimum age or previous employment laid down by Statute for the issue of a licence to act as drivers of public service vehicles, have been able to obtain a conductor's licence.
§ Mr. BATEYWill not the Minister try and get this information, and is he not aware of the serious position of these young men who are wasting their time owing to having been dismissed in a district where there is no other work to be obtained?
§ Mr. MORRISONThe getting of information will not make any difference to the point of policy involved. In passing the Road Traffic Act, Parliament decided that the drivers of these vehicles should be of the age of 21 unless they had previously driven for six months. The provision was considered necessary in the interests of public safety, and it is the opinion strongly held by the Transport and General Workers' Union.
§ Mr. BATEYDoes the Minister insist that a man is only a safe driver when he reaches the age of 21 years?