§ Mr. Croninasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions have been given to the Metropolitan Police as to the procedure they should adopt when they find parked, in a Central London street in which there is no specific prohibition of parking, a oar bearing the official badge of the British Medical Association, not causing obvious obstruction or any potential danger; and how these instructions are modified if the car has displayed a nearby address at which the driver can be contacted.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerThe relevant regulations empower the police to remove cars from the roads when they are causing danger or when they are causing obstruction by interfering with the passage of other vehicles near a road junction or by being parked so far from the edge of the carriageway, or so near another vehicle, as unduly to restrict the space available for the passage of other vehicles. Cars left by doctors in these circumstances are liable to be removed. I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that where a car displays the special badge issued by the British Medical Association for this purpose, with a note of the address at which the owner may be found, it is not normally removed without reference to the owner unless speedy removal is considered to be essential because the car is causing danger or very serious obstruction.
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§ Mr. Croninasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in how many cases reported to Marylebone Lane Police Station were cars belonging to registered medical practitioners removed from the street in the 12 months preceding 31st March, 1960; how many of these displayed signs identifying them as belonging to registered medical practitioners; and how many of the latter category had displayed on them nearby addresses at which the drivers could be contacted;
(2) how many of the cars belonging to registered medical practitioners bearing appropriate medical identification signs and removed by the Metropolitan Police from the streets in the 12 months preceding 31st March, 1960, were about to be used for routine medical purposes; and how many were about to be used to convey the owner to give emergency medical or surgical treatment or to attend to a woman in labour;
(3) how many of the cars removed from the streets by the Metropolitan Police in the 12 months preceding 31st March, 1960, were being used by mid-wives in the performance of their professional duties; and how many were being used by district nurses in the performance of their professional duties;
(4) how many cars removed from the streets by the Metropolitan Police without the knowledge of their owners in the 12 months preceding 31st March, 1960, belonged to registered medical practitioners; how many of these displayed signs identifying them as belonging to registered medical practitioners; and how many of the latter category had displayed on them nearby addresses at which the drivers could be contacted.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerI regret this information is not available.
§ Mr. Croninasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what records the Metropolitan Police keep of the occupations of the owners of the cars which they remove from the streets without the owner's consent; and what records they keep of the purposes for which these cars were about to be used prior to their removal.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerNo such records are kept.