HC Deb 22 July 2004 vol 424 cc599-600W
Jim Dowd

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has issued to police forces in England and Wales concerning the implementation of the ban on using hand-held mobile phones while driving; and what measures are in place to monitor its enforcement. [183931]

Caroline Flint

The new, specific, offence of using a hand-held phone while driving is intended to provide a simple, objective offence, the enforcement and prosecution of which does not depend on judgements of control or carelessness. The Association of Chief Police Officers have welcomed it as a straightforward method of dealing with this dangerous behaviour. The police will enforce the offence as operationally appropriate, and no specific guidance has been issued by the Government.

Data on action to enforce the new offence (written warnings, fixed penalty notices and court proceedings) will be available in autumn 2004.

Mr. Wood

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists have been found using mobile phones whilst driving since 1 December 2003; and how many drivers were(a) fined on the spot, (b) successfully prosecuted and (c) driving vans, buses, coaches and lorries. [184796]

Caroline Flint

Data on police action (written warnings, fixed penalty notices and court proceedings) for the new offence of driving while using a hand held mobile telephone will not be available until the autumn of 2004. Information collected centrally does not identify the type of vehicle involved unless specific to the legislation. Use of a hands free mobile phone is not an offence.