HC Deb 20 June 1979 vol 968 cc1304-5
10. Mr. Rathbone

asked the Minister of Transport if he has any plans to meet representatives of the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

Mr. Fowler

I have already held a valuable joint meeting with officers of the institute and the league of Safe Drivers.

Mr. Rathbone

The House will be grateful to my right hon. Friend for that considered answer. When he spoke to the institute, did he express any disquiet about the overall standard of driving in this country? Is he satisfied with the co-operation between his Department and the institute to encourage better driving, particularly in regard to fuel conservation?

Mr. Fowler

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for what he said. My approach is to encourage better driving standards rather than for ever to be making new restrictions. I believe that that approach will find favour with many motorists. That is the sort of aim that the institute and the league have in common. We shall do all we can to encourage their work.

Mr. Horam

Does not the right hon. Gentleman agree that one matter in which motorists are particularly interested is the future of vehicle excise duty? Now that the Government, and the right hon. Gentleman in particular, have executed the first U-turn of the Session on this subject, why can we not have a decision immediately?

Mr. Fowler

The answer to the hon. Gentleman's first question, which hardly arises from the original question, is that the Government are reviewing the whole operation of vehicle excise duty. That is what we said at the beginning. There is no question of a U-turn having taken place. One of the reasons why we are reviewing the duty is that we have received complaints that the last Government refused to take into account the views of all the other interested bodies. It is sensible to carry out the review.