§ Major GLYNasked the Minister of Transport whether, as the figures up to 31st May last show that there are issued 331,906 licences for goods road-motor vehicles, being an increase of 61,305 since 1927, he can state how many of these vehicles have a capacity of three tons and over and how many are 30-cwt. trucks?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONA subdivision into weight categories of vehicles with licences current in May last is not available. From the "Census of Mechanically Propelled Vehicles, 1929," published by the Ministry of Transport, details of the numbers at the various taxation steps can be obtained in respect of vehicles with licences current during any part of the quarter ended 30th September last. For the purpose of the comparison desired by the hon. and gallant Member, it is necessary to exclude from the total quoted by him and from the corresponding total in the census return for 1929 the two groups designated as "agricultural vans and lorries" and "electrically-propelled vehicles" as the classification of these groups for taxation purposes does not include the three tons and the 30 cwts. steps respectively. With the deduction of these two comparatively small groups of vehicles the number of goods motor vehicles with current licences in September, 1929, was 325,947 and 328,382 in May, 1930. Of the 325,947 vehicles included in the census of September, 1929, 61,212 were goods vehicles of three tons or more in weight unladen and 63,278 were between one ton and 30 cwts. On the same basis the number of goods vehicles with current licences in September, 1927, was 281,542, of which 58,844 were three tons or more in weight unladen. No figure can be given for the number between one ton and 30 cwt., as the 30 cwt. step for purposes of taxation was not introduced until 1929.