§ Mr. Pikeasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what was the percentage failure rate in England for the annual public service vehicle test; and how this compares with the immediate two preceding years;
180W(2) how many vehicles in England failed the annual public service vehicle test in the last year for which figures are available.
§ Mrs. ChalkerStatutory annual testing of public service vehicles was not introduced until 1982. The results of informal yearly inspections carried out before then are not available.
Details of annual tests in England for the two complete years 1982–83 and 1983–84 and for the current year from April to September are as follows:
1982–83 1983–84 †1984–85 Number of tests 53,485 52,785 24,534 Number failed* 12,782 10,853 4,190 Percentage failed* 23.90 20.56 17.07 * These results exclude vehicles which had defects which were rectified during the course of the test. † 6 months.