§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to restore public confidence in breath test machines; and if he will review instructions to the Association of Chief Police Officers regarding the use of the Lion Intoximeter 3000.
§ Mr. HurdFollowing recent reports in theDaily Express, we have sought to inform the public of the safeguards which exist both as regards the machine itself and the procedures laid down for its use.
The machine is programmed to carry out its own calibration checks, both a pre-test check before receiving the subjects' samples and a post test check after the analyses have been completed. If the first check shows that the machine is not measuring accurately it will automatically stop and will not accept the person's breath 149W sample. If the first check is satisfactory but the second check shows the machine to be out of calibration, a visual display coupled with a specific indication on the print-out will convey to the operator that the machine is defective in this respect and he should then use another machine or adopt the blood test procedure. In addition, under the provisions of the Transport Act 1981 a person is entitled to a blood or urine test if the reading on the machine print out falls between the legal maximum of 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood and 50. This provides a wide safety margin against any imperfections in a machine.
We are continuing, and shall continue, to examine carefully all reports on this subject.
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department was last in contact with Lion laboratories about intoximeters; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdHome Office officials have been in frequent contact with the manufacturers of both the Lion intoximeter and the Camic breath analyser about a variety of matters, including inquiries from solicitors about particular cases, details of servicing of particular instruments, and general discussions on routine maintenance.