HC Deb 18 June 1958 vol 589 cc1070-1
34. Mr. Ernest Davies

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware of the large increase, reported in the Summary of the Annual Reports of the Licensing Authorities for the year ended 30th September, 1956, in offences committed under the Road Traffic Acts in regard to working hours and keeping of records; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure stricter observance and enforcement of these statutory requirements.

Mr. Nugent

We are recruiting additional examiners for these enforcement duties.

Mr. Davies

The Parliamentary Secretary has not answered my Question. I asked whether he was aware of the large increase in the number of offences about which he has previously been so complacent. Is he aware that in the Report referred to in the Question, it is stated that there has been an increase of 90 per cent. in the number of offences relating to excessive hours of working and a 70 per cent. increase in the number of offences concerning the keeping of accurate records? Will the hon. Gentleman now admit that it is because of the excessive competition on the roads that the law is not being observed?

Mr. Nugent

Of course, there are some breaches of this law. There are over 1¼ million of these new vehicles on the roads; 3,300 of the offences are under Section 19 and 5,800 are under Section 16, and those figures are not excessively large in view of the large number of vehicles on the roads. We intend to recruit extra numbers when we can get them.

Mr. Davies

By how many does the hon. Gentleman propose to increase the enforcement officers' staff? In the statement that he made previously the number given was five—that is, from 100 to 105. One hundred is the same number as were available before the war when there were one-third the number of vehicles now on the roads.

Mr. Nugent

We also have permission to draw 52 from the driving test examiners' staff. In order to find sufficient scope from that number we have now authority to raise the establishment by 40. We have, therefore, a good prospect this autumn of increasing the numbers engaged on this work.