§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will inquire into the circumstances in which his Department's centre at Hendon tested an Austin 1100 put up by Drive, the magazine of the Automobile Association: why it crossed out the word "dangerous" in form VT21; and why it did not use the more appropriate red and white form VT22 which gives warning that the vehicle tested is dangerous for use on the roads.
§ Mr. HoramThe Austin 1100 was submitted on 13th October 1977 byDrive 387W magazine for an MOT test at Hendon. The test revealed an unusually large number of defective items, and as there was insufficient space to record them all in the "remarks" column of the check list—Form VT29—some were listed in the space normally reserved for dangerous items. There was then no room left for the normal use of this space, so the word "dangerous" was deleted. This procedure was incorrect and the staff at Hendon have now been instructed accordingly.
Form VT22 does not warn that a vehicle is dangerous for use on the roads. It is used only when a testing station cannot safely carry out a brake test. As it was possible to conduct the brake test safely with the equipment available at Hendon, the test was completed and the Form VT21 was correctly issued.