§ Captain Stricklandasked the Minister of Transport whether he will give details, under appropriate headings, of the cost of administration of the Licensing Commissioners and of the Road and Rail Appeal Tribunal; the receipts, indicating the sources from which they were obtained, for the years 1930 to 1937, inclusive, respectively; and what proportion of these expenses and receipts are apportioned to goods vehicles only?
§ Mr. BurginDetails of the staff of the Traffic Area Offices are printed in the1640W Annual Estimates for my Department, the details for the current financial year being given under Class VI, Vote 15, subhead A, pages 140 and 141, totalling £266,000, and those of the Road and Rail Appeal Tribunal under subhead F, page 143, totalling some £6,000. In addition, £165,000 is borne upon other Votes or subheads for accommodation, travelling, stationery and printing, and general administration charges, including pension liability, making a grand total of £437,000. After the closest apportionment between passenger and goods services of expenditure common to both, the total estimated cost of goods licensing for this year is £276,000, and the amount recoverable by way of goods licence fees and miscellaneous receipts is £201,000 (of which £400 is in respect of the Appeal Tribunal) showing a deficit of £75,000 for the current financial year ending 31st March, 1939. Receipts in the first year after the passing of the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933, exceeded expenditure (owing to fees paid in advance) but the cumulative net deficit to the end of the current financial year will be approximately £60,000.