§ 52. Mr. A. Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the growing practice of vehicles in the Metropolitan Police area being driven by holders of provisional driving licences unaccompanied and without "L" plates; what action the Metropolitan Police take to check this offence; to what extent spot checks are held; when such checks were last held; and how many prosecutions have taken place during the last month for these offences.
§ Mr. WoodhouseThe Commissioner of Police tells me that driving licences are checked as one of a number of police actions taken at the same time. They are normally examined whenever the police have occasion to interview a driver and are not the subject of spot checks held to deal solely with driving licence offences.
During 1963, there were in the Metropolitan Police District 8,538 prosecutions of provisional licence holders for being unaccompanied by a qualified driver, and 11,870 prosecutions of provisional licence holders for not having "L" plates on their vehicles. The numbers of convictions were 8,311 and 11,595 respectively. Later figures are not yet available.