§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the capital cost of the vehicle-testing station operated by the Ministry of Transport at Hendon; what is the operating cost; how many inspections have been made; what is the average time taken per inspection and what is the cost per inspection.]
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER (THE EARL OF SELKIRK)My Lords, the capital cost of building the experimental vehicle-testing station at Hendon and providing equipment was approximately £12,000. The estimated annual operating cost, including overheads, is about £9,000. Up to 5 p.m. on April 17, 1956—that is, last night—14,455 vehicle inspections had been made. The average time taken for each inspection is about fifteen minutes. The average cost of the inspections carried out on the one lane at present used is estimated to be 6s. 6d. It is too early for this figure to be considered as more than provisional.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, will the noble Earl accept my grateful thanks for the full information that he has given? Would he be prepared to hazard a guess—and I admit that it can be only a guess—that if it takes fifteen minutes for every inspection, the 1072 waiting time before inspection takes place would add up to one hour? If that is so, would it not be a fair assumption that any vehicle-owner who lives within a 15-mile radius of a testing station would have to devote half a day to having his vehicle tested; and does not the noble Earl think that, in the present economic circumstances, that is far too high a drain upon the national economy?
§ THE EARL OF SELKIRKMy Lords, I have the impression that this matter is being discussed on a Bill in another place. Accordingly, I do not think the noble Lord would expect me to give any definite statement on this subject, and I very much hope that he will not ask me to follow him in his conjectures. I think they are as wild as some others can be, and I do not think they are necessarily correct.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, if the noble Earl is correct and there is a Bill in another place—technically, of course, we in your Lordships' House do not know anything about it—would he, when the Bill is presented to your Lordships' House, have some explanatory memorandum issued, so that we can have our opinions formed upon fact and not upon conjecture?
§ THE EARL OF SELKIRKMy Lords, I assure the noble Lord that, in the event of any Bill coming up here, I will do my utmost to explain to him in detail what is necessary.