§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of heavy goods vehicles on roads without an operator's licence vehicle disc but operating under the margin arrangement. [15380]
§ Mr. BowisIt is impossible to make any accurate estimate of the number of vehicles operated under the margin arrangements. Vehicles used by any licensed operator within their total authorisation limit for up to one calendar month do not need to be specified and thus do not need to carry a disc.
§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many heavy goods vehicles have been found to be operating without proper authorisation under the Goods Vehicle Operator Licensing Regulations during roadside checks in 1995 and 1996. [15381]
§ Mr. BowisWe have no separate figures for heavy goods vehicles found to be operating without a valid operator's licence.
§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many goods vehicle operators were successfully prosecuted in 1995 and 1996 for operating vehicles without authorisation under the Goods Vehicle Operator Licensing Regulations. [15382]
§ Mr. BowisI have asked the chief executive of the Vehicle Inspectorate to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ron Oliver to Mr. Andrew Smith, dated 12 February 1997:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many goods vehicle operators have been successfully prosecuted in 1995 and 1996 for operating vehicles without authorisation under the Goods Vehicle Operator Licensing Regulations.Information about successful prosecutions against vehicle operators for the specific offence of unauthorised use is not currently available. The extent of illegal operations was quantified in a report published in April 1996, of the roadside survey of illegal operators180Wcarried out by the Vehicle Inspectorate on behalf of the Department of Transport in October 1995. This indicated that illegal operators accounted for less than 2% of all miles travelled by goods vehicles.
§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that the operator licensing details of heavy goods vehicles are ascertained at roadside enforcement checks. [15383]
§ Mr. BowisIt is one of a number of checks carried out by traffic examiners at each roadside vehicle check, and is followed up as part of routine enforcement action where necessary.
§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has completed his consideration of proposals to impound illegally operated and dangerous heavy goods vehicles as indicated in his response to the Transport Committee's Fifth report in November 1996; and if he will make a statement. [15384]
§ Mr. BowisWe are still working on plans for a possible scheme for the impounding of illegally operated and dangerous heavy goods vehicles.