§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what274W steps he has taken to ensure the security and reliability of the smart card technology under consideration by EU transport ministers for the monitoring of HGV drivers' hours. [58712]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonIn agreeing the framework European Union (EU) Regulation to pave the way for the use of digital tachographs, the Government secured an amendment which requires the type-approval for the system to ensure that it is capable of resisting attempts to alter the drivers' hours data. Such tests must be carried out by experts familiar with up to date tampering techniques. The technical specification for the proposed system is now being worked up by a technical committee comprising all EU Member States. I can assure my hon. Friend that security remains our paramount concern and that we will continue to do all that we can to ensure that the proposed system is as secure as possible.