§ 34 and 38. Mr. Ian Lloydasked the Minister of Transport (1) whether he will set up machinery to deal with claims for refunds of driving licence test fees paid by those who are prevented by illness, accident, bereavement or other similar causes from giving notice of cancellation more than 72 hours before their driving test is due;
(2) what estimate he has made of the cost of establishing the machinery necessary to handle applications for refund of driving licence test fees paid by those who are prevented by illness, accident, bereavement or other similar causes from giving notice of cancellation more than 72 hours before their driving test is due.
§ Mr. SwinglerSection 25(2)(b) of the Road Traffic Act, 1962, limits my right hon. Friend's powers of refunding the fee to a candidate who has cancelled his test to those cases where he gives a stipulated period of notice (set in the subsequent Regulations at three clear working days). It does not permit a refund to be made in cases of hardship; an amendment to allow this was negatived.
Legislation would, therefore, be required to alter the present arrangements, which have prevented the waste of at least 80,000 test periods. The organisation required to deal with claims for refund of fees in special cases would cost at least £20,000 a year.
§ Mr. Ian Lloydasked the Minister of Transport whether he will now give instructions that when notice of cancellation of a driving test has been received more than 24 hours before the test is due the whole of the fee, less administrative and postal charges and less a charge sufficient to cover any net loss of revenue as a result of booked test periods not being taken up by other candidates, shall be refunded.
§ Mr. SwinglerI would refer the hon. Member to my Answer to his two Questions earlier today.