§ 39. Mr. THORNEasked the Minister of Transport whether it is the practice of the traffic commissioners throughout the country to refuse to grant licences to lorry contractors who refuse to pay the recognised rates of wages or observe the recognised conditions of labour agreed to by the workers' trade unions and the employers' organisations; and whether he is aware that in the area of the East Midland traffic commissioner the Derbyshire County Council are only paying 11d. per hour for a man with a horse and cart, a rate several pence below the minimum rate recognised for this class of work?
§ Captain A. HUDSONEvery "A" and "B" licence granted by the licensing authorities is subject to a condition that requires the licence holder to comply with the "fair wages" resolution in relation to the vehicles authorised by the licence; failure to observe this condition renders the holder liable to prosecution, and in certain circumstances his licence may be suspended or revoked. As regards the second part of the question, licensing authorities have no jurisdiction over horse-drawn vehicles.