§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Minister of Transport if he is satisfied that the frequency with which a coach operator must obtain a certificate of roadworthiness provides adequate safeguards to the public; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAll coaches must have certificates of fitness for public service before they can be used for that purpose. Their roadworthiness is checked at roughly yearly intervals by the Department's examiners who also have powers to check vehicles at any time and suspend them from service if they are defective.
No system of periodic and spot checks can completely prevent the use of any 240W defective vehicle. But the frequency of checks under these arrangements does provide a very valuable safeguard to the public. They will be further strengthened when the new EEC system of annual roadworthiness tests provided for by the Transport Act 1980 comes into operation.