§ Mr. Snapeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of heavy vehicles entering Great Britain through the Channel ports that were checked for overloading and the number of those checked which were actually overloaded.
§ Mr. CarmichaelThe number of heavy goods vehicles entering Great Britain through the Channel ports which were checked by my Department's Traffic Examiners for overloading in the calendar years 1973 and 1974 was as follows:
Number of vehicles checked Found overloaded and prohibited 1973 … 2,614 446 1974 … 5,028 586 The above figures do not include weight checks carried out by the county councils consumer protection officers or the police.
§ Mr. Snapeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to ensure that all heavy vehicles entering Great Britain are checked for overloading at the port of entry.
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§ Mr. CarmichaelPowers already exist under the Road Traffic (Foreign Vehicles) Act 1972 and the Road Traffic Act 1974 to check weigh heavy goods vehicles entering Great Britain at the port of entry. I am satisfied that the existing legislation is sufficient.
§ Mr. Snapeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of staff employed in or around the Channel ports to check the loading of heavy vehicles entering Great Britain.
§ Mr. CarmichaelThe total number of my Department's traffic examiners employed, at present, on enforcement duties in or around the Channel ports is 13. In addition, consumer protection officers of the county councils concerned and the police also carried out weighing checks on heavy goods vehicles entering Great Britain. The number of staff involved in this case is not known to me.
§ Mr. Snapeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has of the extent of overloading of heavy vehicles owned and operated by British hauliers.
§ Mr. CarmichaelThe evidence regarding the extent of overloading is supplied by the figures given below which are in respect of gross overloads, for the calendar years 1972–1974 inclusive:
Total checked Overloaded(Gross) 1972 … 24,419 1,315 1973 … 28,538 1,698 1974 … 26,468 2,348
§ Mr. Snapeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many hauliers, British and foreign, were prosecuted in the last three years because of overloading; and what was the average fine.
§ Mr. CarmichaelUnder the provisions of the Road Traffic (Foreign Vehicles) Act 1972 the Department's Traffic Examiners prohibit—not prosecute—overloaded foreign goods vehicles until the excess weight has been removed. This is a worthwhile deterrent in that the delay caused means that the vehicle is standing idle and out of action until offloading has been carried out.
463WAs regards British vehicles, the numbers prosecuted and average fines over the last three years is:
Prosecutions Average fine£ 1972 … 2,333 16.28 1973 … 2,469 27.52 1974 … 1,693 31.55
§ Mr. Snapeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has regarding the extent to which overloaded lorries arc entering Great Britain through the Channel ports.
§ Mr. CarmichaelThe evidence regarding the extent of overloaded lorries entering the country through the Channel ports is shown by the fact that my Department's traffic examiners checked about 50 per cent. more in 1974 than in 1973 and the proportion meriting prohibition dropped from some 17 per cent. to 11 per cent.