HC Deb 08 November 1967 vol 753 cc128-9W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he is aware that during the last two months the Greater London Council has been conducting a campaign against unlicensed road vehicles resulting in a 30 per cent. rise in the licensing of vehicles as compared with 12 months ago; to what extent the Metropolitan Police have co-operated in this effort; how many cases of unlicensed vehicles have been reported by the police during the past two months and how this compares with 12 months ago; and whether he will make a statement;

(2) whether he will publish in the Official Report a table of figures giving for the Metropolitan Police area details of the number of road vehicles which have been reported as apparently unlicensed during the latest 12 month period, and showing how these compare with the previous 12 months' figures, how long it takes on average for a prosecution to ensue, how many prosecutions have taken place and with what results,

1965 1966
November … … … … 7,661 November … … … … 15,468
December … … … … 6,864 December … … … … 11,207
1966 1967
January … … … … 7,153 January … … … … 15,474
February … … … … 10,237 February … … … … 17,355
March … … … … 12,578 March … … … … 20,111
April … … … … 10,972 April … … … … 18,749
May … … … … 13,892 May … … … … 20,461
June … … … … 15,557 June … … … … 16,153
July … … … … 12,183 July … … … … 13,197
August … … … … 11,905 August … … … … 13,729
September … … … … 10,284 September … … … … 10,300
October … … … … 14,781 October … … … … 15,094
Total … … … … 134,067 Total … … … … 187,298

The Metropolitan police reported 144,866 apparently unlicensed vehicles to the Greater London Council during 1966, and have reported 158,351 such vehicles during the first ten months of this year. These statistics are not available on a monthly basis.

The number reported to the Metropolitan police, or by them to authorities other than the Greater London Council, is not available.

It is primarily for the vehicle licensing authority to decide in each case whether proceedings should be brought, and I have no statistics of prosecutions or loss of revenue.