§ Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the reasons for the increase in the fee for a heavy goods vehicle driving test from £8 to £30; and if he will publish the accounts of such tests for each of the last three years.
§ Mr. Goodhart[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1979, c. 554]: This fee was increased to take account of increased costs since fees were last revised in April 1976 and to bring it into line with that for the same test in Great Britain.
Vehicle and driving test staff are responsible for the whole range of vehicle and driving tests and it is not possible to 831W give precise information on the cost of the heavy goods vehicle driving test service alone. However, estimates of costs for the last 3 years are:
1976–77 £49,000 1977–78 £56,500 1978–79 £62,000 The income from fees over the same period is as follows:—
1976–77 £18,472 1977–78 £19,920 1978–79 £21,480