Smoking (Hansard, 6 December 1994)

HC Deb 06 December 1994 vol 251 cc179-80W 179W

§ Mr. Steen
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce tobacco smoking(a) on public transport and (b) in restaurants.
180W
failure of maintenance. About 60,000 vehicles each year are inspected for roadworthiness as part of these checks.
Commercial and heavy goods vehicles are tested for roadworthiness each year at the Vehicle Inspectorate's heavy goods vehicles testing stations or at other premises designated for annual testing.
About 150,000 other roadworthiness enforcement spot checks are carried out on vehicles in service either at the roadside or in the inspectorate's heavy goods vehicle testing stations.

§ Mr. Alison
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish figures, derived from the Vehicle Inspectorate or elsewhere showing the extent to which vehicle mechanical faults or defects were significant contributory factors in the cause of serious road accidents involving lorries and other heavy goods vehicles in each of the last full five years.

§ Mr. Norris
Data on accidents involving heavy goods vehicles with likely contributory defects were obtained from all Vehicle Inspectorate examinations at the request of the police where a contributory defect was alleged or suspected. The inspectorate's sample is, therefore, biased towards vehicles with defects and includes slight injury and damage only as well as fatal and serious accidents. For comparison purposes, the column "All reported HGV accidents"—data taken from the Department's annual publication, "Road Accidents Great Britain"—also includes slight injury and damage-only accidents.

§ Mr. Norris
The Government continue to support and encourage the voluntary introduction of smoking policies on public transport and in public places, including restaurants. When a suitable opportunity arises, we will also bring in legislation to allow taxi drivers to refuse a passenger who is smoking. The provision of no-smoking areas is becoming more widespread in line with changing public attitudes to smoking and the dangers of passive smoking.