§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many enforcement officers he employed in(a) 1979 and (b) the latest available year; and whether he has any plans to increase their numbers.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Department employed 1,401 enforcement officers in 1979 and 1,560 in 1987. These officers are:
1979 1987 Traffic examiners 241 235 Vehicle examiners 327 352 VED enforcement officers 833 973 There are no plans to increase the numbers of enforcement officers.
§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions were brought by enforcement officers in each year from 1979 to the latest available year.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe number of prosecutions brought by the Department's traffic area offices between 1978–79 and 1986–87 in enforcing heavy goods and passenger operator and vocational driver licensing and other requirements relating to road safety were as follows:
93W
Number 1978–79 10,700 1979–80 14,100 1980–81 13,500 1981–82 12,500
1982–83 Number 1982–83 14,900 1983–841 9,300 1984–85 13,500 1985–86 15,000 1986–87 16,300 1 The period of the reporting year was changed resulting in a six-month report. The number of prosecutions sought by the Department between 1979 and 1987 for vehicle excise duty offences including those settled out of court were as follows:
Number 1979 172,000 1980 210,000 1981 169,000 1982 198,000 1983 253,000 1984 291,000 1985 305,000 1986 343,000 1987 348,000