§ 7. Mr. Dribergasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been called to the case of a Maldon builder's employee, who has been fined £2 and disqualified from driving for 12 months, because the lorry which he was driving for his employer was not covered by insurance; and if, in view of the hardship caused to this man and the fact that he cannot afford the probable cost of an appeal, he will remit this sentence.
§ Mr. EdeI have no power to interfere with a court's decision on the question whether a person shall or shall not be disqualified from holding a driving licence, but I am causing inquiries to be made about the case.
§ Mr. Quintin HoggHaving regard to certain recent decisions of the Court of Criminal Appeal as to the powers of courts in cases of this kind, would the right hon. Gentleman look into the situation and consider whether these decisions really embody the intentions of this House?
§ Mr. EdeMy attention has been drawn to these decisions of the Court of Criminal Appeal. Diverting from my usual practice, I issued a circular to benches of magistrates drawing their attention to the decisions which, in general, coincide with the intention of this House. The particular case to which my hon. Friend the Member for Maldon (Mr. Driberg) drew attention happens to contain exceptional circumstances which justify me in further investigating it.