§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes to introduce legislation to require a car owner to be responsible for the payment of fixed penalty tickets for parking and other motoring offences, regardless of whether he was driving his car at the time the offence occurred; and in particular, whether he proposes that the owner be responsible for paying for a ticket issued while the car was in the hands of a thief.
§ Dr. SummerskillI would refer the hon. Member to Section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 1974, which will come into force on 1st September 1975, and provides for vehicle owners to be liable, in addition to the drivers, for certain minor stationary road traffic offences where a fixed penalty notice has been issued but the fixed penalty not paid. Section 1(5) provides that the owner shall not be liable if it is proved that at the time the offence is alleged to have been committed the vehicle was in the possession of some other person without his consent.