§ 13. Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists were prosecuted for not having valid road fund licences during the past 12 months.
§ Mr. Elystan MorganThere were 66,264 persons in England and Wales during 1968.
§ Mr. McNair-WilsonThat is not a very great number in relation to licences issued, but it may be the tip of the iceberg. I admit to having driven a car for weeks with an invalid licence, and in that time no one questioned me. Will the Home Office consider either allowing traffic wardens themselves to seek out cases of out-of-date licences, or involving stiffer penalties?
§ Mr. MorganI am sure that the House is grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his candour, and I know that he will applaud the fact that whereas in 1963 32,666 people were prosecuted, practically double that number were prosecuted in 1968.
§ Mr. Arthur LewisIs my hon. Friend aware that the G.L.C. has admitted that 2115 it has taken as much as two years for it to get cases to court; that then, after two years, only very nominal fines of £5 or £10 have been imposed; and that then some offenders never pay the fine or the licence fee, and so go on for years? Could not more positive action be taken? The present situation is an incentive for some people.
§ Mr. MorganI am glad that my hon Friend has at last appreciated that these prosecutions are for the licensing authorities—the county councils and county borough councils. He will be aware that, on average, the Metropolitan police report about 14,000 of these cases to the licensing authorities every month.