§ 10. Mr. Normantonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now reconsider amending the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations, 1970, made under Section 25 of the Road Traffic Act, 1962, to allow discretion to be exercised by traffic area authorities administering the driving test appointment procedure, particularly where appointments had to be cancelled for reasons outside the control of the applicant.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Eldon Griffiths)No, Sir. My right hon. Friend has no power to do so.
§ Mr. NormantonWill my hon. Friend consider either taking powers or at least giving some general directions to the authorities to deal with cases where applicants for a driving licence, through unfortunate circumstances such as sickness, duly certified, are faced with a penalty through having to pay for but not receive the test?
§ Mr. GriffithsWe take into account exceptional circumstances where applicants are not able to attend. Obviously, the cost of the administration of the scheme has to be borne by all the people and if too many exceptions were made the only result would be higher costs for the great majority.