Disability Discrimination Bill (Ways and Means) (Hansard, 31 October 1995)

§ The Minister for Social Security and Disabled People (Mr. Alistair Burt)

I beg to move, That, for the purposes of any Act resulting from the Disability Discrimination Bill, it is expedient to authorise the payment of any fees received by the Secretary of State into the Consolidated Fund. This resolution covers amendment No. 62, which relates to fees charged as part of the procedure for ensuring that public service vehicles are accessible to people with disabilities. The Bill provides for two means by which manufacturers may have their vehicles certified as accessible. The first approach, and one that we expect to be used most often, provides for individual vehicles to be certified as meeting accessibility requirements. That is closely modelled on the existing procedures for ensuring that buses and coaches meet the necessary safety and environmental standards—the certificate of initial fitness procedure.

The second approach, which will be available to manufacturers producing vehicles in larger volume, is a system under which a type vehicle is approved and manufacturers may then produce subsequent vehicles without individual inspection, so long as there are satisfactory arrangements to ensure conformity of production. That too mirrors existing arrangements for the type approval of buses and coaches. There is also a system of review and appeal when a manufacturer is aggrieved at the decision of a vehicle examiner not to issue a certificate.

The new clause, amendment No. 62, simply provides for fees to be levied to cover the Government's costs relating to the approval and certification procedure. That approach is well precedented in existing vehicle construction legislation.