§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what estimate he has made of how long a simple wheel alignment check would take if included as part of the MOT test;
(2) how much he estimates that the equipment would cost which would be required to make a simple wheel alignment check as part of the MOT test;
(3) what collaborative provisions exist with other members of the European Economic Community in connection with wheel alignment checks on vehicles; and whether he will seek to further these in the interests of safety.
§ Dr. GilbertA simple wheel alignment check would take about five minutes if it were included as part of the MOT test and the capital cost of installing the necessary equipment would be about £200 per test station.
Representatives of all the member States of the EEC meet frequently to work towards the harmonisation of vehicle roadworthiness tests. The list of possible test items includes the inspection of a vehicle's steering gear but excludes a wheel alignment test. I am not aware of any evidence of a potential contribution to road safety that would justify the cost of such a test.