§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what instructions he has given to his regional traffic area offices with regard to complaints from the public about smoky vehicles; how many such complaints have been received since the publication of the leaflet "Wake up to what you can do for the Environment"; and what action has been taken, or is planned, in respect of such complaints.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 19 April 1991]: If a complaint is about a smoky vehicle subject to operator licensing, which means most buses and lorries and sufficient details of the vehicle and the incident are provided, the Department will write to the operator. The letter will ask him to have the vehicle checked and to report to the Department, within 10 days of the date of the letter, on the action taken. The letter will also warn that excessive smoke emission is an offence under regulation 61 of the Construction and Use Regulations. As these arrangements have only recently come into force, it is too soon to estimate their impact on numbers of complaints.