Mr. FOOTasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport whether the plates designed for motor care running under trade numbers are unsuited for the purpose; whether, in consequence, the blue licence is frequently detached and lost, and that when the licence is lost it is necessary to return the plates before a duplicate is issued; and whether he can see his way to improve the design of the plates and to modify the regulations so as to make it unnecessary to return the plates before a duplicate is issued?
§ Mr. NEALA number of complaints were received in the early part of 1921 to the effect that the front general identification mark plate for motor cars was of a depth which rendered it difficult to attach to small cars of low clearance without obscuring to a considerable extent the cooling surface of the radiator. Special arrangements were made to meet this difficulty, and I am not aware that there is now any substantial cause for complaint with regard to the construction of the plates in question. The replacement of the old plates by new ones on the loss of a licence is necessary as a protection against fraud. The simple issue of a duplicate licence, where a licence was fraudulently represented as being lost, might lead to the simultaneous use of both the motor car and motor cycle sets of plates. For this reason, I am not prepared to modify the instructions in the sense desired by my hon. Friend.