Deregulation (Hansard, 28 January 1994)

§ Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether operators of passenger and goods vehicles will still be required to advertise in the local press when they wish to renew their licences under the proposals in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill.

§ Mr. Norris
Yes.

§ Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he intends to introduce to ensure that regular maintenance checks are carried out of goods and public service vehicle operating centres following his proposals in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill.

§ Mr. Norris
There will be no change to the present system. Operators will still be required to satisfy the traffic commissioner that they have adequate maintenance arrangements for their vehicles.

§ Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether goods and public service operators will be able to increase their vehicle fleet size without the authority of the traffic commissioners under the proposals set out in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill.

§ Mr. Norris
No.

§ Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what measures he intends to introduce to ensure that the environmental safeguards currently provided under current goods vehicle operating licensing laws are protected following the introduction of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill;
(2) whether operators of passenger and goods vehicles will still be required to advertise in the local press when they wish to renew their licences under the proposals in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill.

§ Mr. Norris
Operators will no longer be required to renew their licences. Under the system of continuous licensing, an operator's licence would last for the lifetime of the holder, provided there was no breach of the conditions under which the licence was granted and payment of fees associated with the licence were paid. The system will allow for periodic checks to be made on operators, and an opportunity for goods vehicle operating centres to be reviewed at five-yearly intervals to ensure that they remain suitable.
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