§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (LORD CRAIGTON)My Lords, I beg to move that the Functions of Traffic Wardens (Scotland) Order, 1962, a draft of which was laid before this House on May 16, be approved. As envisaged by Section 2 of the Road Traffic and Roads Improvement Act, 1960, this Order does two things. First, it permits police authorities anywhere in Scotland, without further authority, to appoint traffic wardens, whose limited functions are among those referred to in paragraphs 1 (1), 2, and 3 of the Schedule to the Draft Order. These are: giving an informal warning of a parking offence or calling a constable or reporting the offence to the police, and acting as parking attendants and at school crossings.
Second, if as is now the case in Edinburgh, the authority wishes to give wardens the powers to issue a ticket for the listed offences under the fixed penalty procedure, paragraph 1 (2) of the Schedule permits this; but such powers will be available only after my right honourable friend the Secretary of State, as provided for in the 1960 Act, has made regulations governing the fixed penalty procedure, an Order relating to the offences to which that procedure may be applied, and a further Order enabling the procedure to be brought into operation in the city of Edinburgh. My right honourable friend will do so after the present Order has been approved by your Lordships and in another place.
It will be noted from paragraph 1 (2) of the Schedule that the ticket penalty procedure will not apply to the offences of obstruction or leaving a vehicle in a dangerous manner. These offences are being excluded by the relevant Order which, as already mentioned, my right honourable friend will be making. This is in accordance with the views expressed by your Lordships when the 1960 Act was before this House, and a similar position obtains South of the Border. The Order before us to-day has been approved by the Scottish local authorities and the chief constables.
§ Moved, That the Functions of Traffic Wardens (Scotland) Order, 1962, be approved.—(Lord Craigton.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.