§ 9. Mr. Alec Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will review the working of his Roads Safety Department.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasAs with all parts of the Welsh Office, the working of my Roads Safety Department is kept under constant review. I am satisfied that it is functioning effectively.
§ Mr. JonesDoes not the right hon. and learned Gentleman agree that to impose value added tax on safety helmets, on harnesses and on other accessories which are necessary for road safety, particularly on posters and films used by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, makes a mockery of pretending that we can do anything about road safety? How does the Secretary of State visualise that his Department can encourage road safety when the Government's value added tax is moving in the opposite direction?
§ Mr. ThomasThe hon. Gentleman's supplementary question is ingenious. In fact, VAT does not affect in any way the effectiveness of my Road Safety Unit.