§ Mr. Joplingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the Metropolitan Police have recently agreed to the use of credit cards for the payment of parking fines; which cards are being used for this purpose; what discount has been agreed to with the credit card companies; and how much will be received by the authorities for a parking offence for which a statutory fine of £6 is imposed.
§ Dr. SummerskillFines are not paid to the police, but to the appropriate magistrates' court.
Since 1st October 1975 the Metropolitan Police have accepted the use of certain credit cards for payment of removal charges in respect of vehicles removed by them from the streets. The cards accepted are Access, Barclaycard and American Express, whose charges are respectively 4 per cent., 5 per cent. and 6 per cent. on the sum involved. The removal fee is at present £7; where a vehicle removed by the police has also attracted a fixed penalty of £6—which is not the same as a fine—the Metropolitan Police will also accept payment of this sum—including payment by credit card—if it is tendered together with the removal charge. The full £6 is then remitted to the appropriate magistrates' court.
The percentage charged by the credit card companies is regarded as part of the administrative costs of removal, and is taken into account whenever these costs are reassessed.