HC Deb 30 April 1981 vol 3 cc457-8W
Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, South, 13 April, when he will be able to estimate the total additional costs of annual inspections of public stage carriage omnibuses in order to comply with European Economic Community directive 77/143; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Fowler

The test fee for the new formal annual inspection of public service vehicles will be established later this year, and a partial estimate of costs will then be possible. Other costs, however, depend on decisions of individual public service vehicle operators—for example, whether they choose to invest in testing facilities at their own premises, or to send their vehicles for test elsewhere. This will not be known until the new testing scheme has been in operation for some time.