§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what improvements in service to its customers and the general public have followed the establishment of the vehicle inspectorate as an executive agency; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AtkinsI am pleased to say that the agency has already introduced a number of worthwhile improvements aimed at improving its service to customers and furthering road safety. The most recent initiative is to offer operators of heavy goods and public service vehicles the option of requesting an annual test or retest on a Saturday. This extension to the normal working week will operate first on a trial basis to test the demand at the Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Kidderminster, Northampton and Ipswich heavy goods vehicle testing stations.
Following a successful trial at selected locations, a brake performance check service will be made available from next January on a national basis. The service is mainly intended for operators and repairers of heavy goods and public service vehicles.
The inspectorate has also opened its training centre in Bristol to the private sector and has run a number of courses on brake testing and the inspection of public service and heavy goods vehicles. Training courses are also being run at operators' own premises where this is preferred.
The manuals for the inspection of heavy goods and public service vehicles, cars and motorcycles are now available from the inspectorate's operations centre, Swansea, in addition to the normal HMSO outlets. A motorcycle test guide aimed at owners who undertake their own servicing and repairs will be available in the new year. This is being published by HMSO and sponsored by the Norwich Union Insurance Company. It will be sold through high street bookshops, as well as those of HMSO.