HC Deb 12 November 1975 vol 899 c699W
Sir John Gilmour

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what saving, if any, will accrue from the centralisation of vehicles and driving licences at Swansea once all the issues by local offices have terminated.

Dr. Gilbert

No detailed comparison of cost between the local authority driver and vehicle licensing system and the centralised arrangements has been undertaken, because licensing would not have remained viable under the local system. Such indicators as there are, however, suggest that continuance of a local system would have required more staff than the centralised system, and that any additional costs incurred on the centralised system—in terms of buildings and equipment—will be at least offset by the benefits which can be expected from centralisation, such as reduced evasion of vehicle excise duty and tighter control over driving offenders.