§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the impact of European Union directive 91/439 on the United Kingdom road haulage industry. [10362]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonDirective 91/439, most of whose provisions came into force in the UK on 1 January 1997, introduced a requirement for indefinite mutual recognition
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§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe contribution of bus exhaust emission to air pollution is estimated as follows:
of driving licences by member states, based on a common licence format and common testing and health standards throughout the European Union. The main changes affecting the driving of goods vehicles are:
staged testing, requiring drivers to pass a test on a rigid goods vehicle before they may progress to a test for goods vehicles with trailers;a new driving test, and higher medical standards, for driving goods vehicles between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes—an entitlement granted with a car licence before 1997;a reduction in the size of trailer that may be towed by drivers who passed a large goods vehicle—over 7.5 tonnes—test on a rigid vehicle before 1997;more stringent eyesight standards for new applicants for large goods vehicle licences.The costs of any additional training and testing required by these changes will in many cases be borne by new drivers who first obtain a goods vehicle licence on or after 1 January 1997 before they take up employment in the road haulage industry. But some costs are involved for the industry, particularly where employers meet the expense of additional qualifications required by their existing work-force. In the longer term, we would expect the new requirements to lead to better trained and qualified drivers, which will benefit the industry, as well as bringing more general road safety benefits.