§ 45. Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Transport, what progress is being made in the compulsory 10-year-old car tests; in what respect it has been found neces- 160 sary to amend the regulations; how many cars he estimates will be required to undergo the test; how many testing stations are available for the purpose; and what the prospects are of completing the operation by 15th May.
§ Mr. HayThe test will be made compulsory for vehicles of various ages over ten years in accordance with the programme my right hon. Friend gave on 21st December in reply to Questions by the right hon. Member for Vauxhall (Mr. Strauss) and by my hon. Friend the Member for Truro (Mr. G. Wilson). The necessary Order will be made this week; it has not been necessary to amend the regulations: about 1½ million vehicles will be required to undergo the test, and latest returns indicate that about ¼ million of these have already been submitted. There are now 14,348 testing stations available in Great Britain. Given the co-operation of the owners of vehicles coming within:the scheme, I see no reason to suppose that the operation will not have been completed by 15th May.
§ Mr. DoddsIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware of the conflicting views in garages as to what the regulations require to be done, and that some garages are claiming that they have been told to ignore the regulation regarding the size and position of rear lights? In view of the costly experiences of some motorists, can garages be told that the scheme is not an excuse merely to extort money unnecessarily from motorists?
§ Mr. HayI say quite sincerely that I am obliged to the hon. Gentleman for bringing that information to my notice. I shall have it examined.