§ Mr. Gregoryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from chief constables stating how many drivers in the North-Western area, the Metropolitan area and England and Wales as a whole, have been made to take the breathalyser test since the introduction of the Road Safety Act; in how many cases proceedings have been taken; and how many tests were found to be within the safety limit; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe following figures relate to roadside breath tests required by the police during the period408W 9th to 31st October inclusive. Statistics of prosecutions are not available.
Number of tests required Number considered "positive"* Failures† Metropolitan Police District 823 299 23 North-Western Area‡ 218 85 9 England and Wales 2,791 1,029 102 * "Positive" means considered by the officer conducting the test to justify arrest on the grounds that the results indicated a proportion of alcohol in the blood in excess of the prescribed limit. † "Failures" include refusals to take the test. ‡ The police areas within the counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, Lancashire and Westmorland.