§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) why, in view of the recent decision in the High Court, he will not amend the three-year rule on the suspension of driving licences so that the suspension commences from the date of committing the first actual 394W offence to the date of the third offence instead of the date of the actual conviction in each instance;
(2) why, in view of the information supplied to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North, that by virtue of the long time waiting for conviction the three-year suspension for driving offences can mean periods of suspension in excess of three years, he will not seek powers to amend the law.
§ Mr. PeytonI assume that the hon. Member is referring to disqualification under Section 5(3) of the Road Traffic Act, 1962. The three-year period should not start until a man has been put on notice by endorsement on his licence of a conviction. The method the hon. Member proposes could earn him disqualification before he had been convicted at all.