§ 82. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Minister of Transport to what extent his Department has carried out spot checks on road vehicles to see whether the various regulations on licences, brakes, tyres and road-worthy certificates were being complied with, and with what results; and what plans he has for such investigations during 1970.
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Mr. Bob BrownDuring the 12 months ending on 30th September, 1969, the numbers of vehicles checked in respect of mechanical condition were as follows:
Heavy goods vehicles 102,660 Light goods vehicles, cars and motor cycles 3,842 38,611 (38 per cent.) heavy goods vehicles had prohibitions imposed, of which 10,233 (10 per cent.) had immediate effect. This shows a slight reduction in the proportion of defective vehicles.
1,832 (64 per cent.) other vehicles checked fell short of the standards of the annual test of vehicles three or more years old. This failure rate has risen, largely due to the inclusion of tyres as a specific testable item.
Our officers have no powers to require production of test certificates, but in general if a vehicle is of testable age, a current test certificate must accompany any application for an excise licence.
With regard to compliance with carriers licensing regulations, during the same period some 238,000 vehicles were checked, and approximately 6,800 summonses issued, resulting in over 1,100 prosecutions.
During 1970, although we consider that the remaining stages of plating and testing, and the completion of inspections of operators maintenance arrangements, must continue to receive high priority, we intend to carry out at least as many spot checks of vehicle conditions as in 1969. Enforcement effort in respect of licensing and allied matters is expected to remain at about the current level.