§ 12. Mr. Lipsonasked the Minister of Transport if he will prevent the waste of petrol and manpower caused by the regulation under which a transport contractor is allowed to serve one customer only, and is obliged to make the return journey with his vehicle empty, by amending the terms of the licence.
§ Mr. CallaghanContractors operating under "A" licences are free of conditions, except in the case of "A" contract licences, where limitation to one customer is a statutory requirement.
§ Mr. LipsonDoes that mean there is some misunderstanding, and that trucks are allowed to bring back goods on the return journey?
§ Mr. CallaghanExcept in the case of the rather small number of "A" contract licences. If I may quote the figures, there are 81,000 "A" licences and 9,600 "A" contract licences. I will be glad to discuss it further with the hon. Member.
§ Mr. LipsonIf it holds good for 81,000, why is it not equally good for the 9,000, in order to save petrol and avoid waste?
§ Mr. CallaghanUnfortunately, we have to administer the Road and Rail Traffic Act, and this is a statutory requirement under that Act.