§ 28. Mr. S. Shephardasked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that men between the age of 17 and 21 may drive a tractor on the road, but are not allowed to drive produce to the local railway station or to the local market; and, since this prohibition is inconvenient to farmers, if he will take steps to amend the regulation.
§ Mr. Barnes:The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes, Sir." I do not think on the grounds of public policy it would be wise to allow youths of 17 to 21 to drive heavy vehicles which may be used to despatch produce from farms. To make such a concession would go far beyond the wartime concession relating to agricultural tractors which are not normally driven on public highways. As to the second part, neither my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture nor I am aware of any difficulty being experienced by farmers, but if the hon. Member has a particular case in mind I shall be glad to look into it.