WESTM NSTER HAUL
Page 7
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TRUE HE WAS educated at an ancient school and at Cambridge. Certainly he held a commission in the Army. But Norman Fowler has no more in common with the unthinking Tory of tradition than many of the smart-alec Socialists have with the cloth-capped workers who once packed the Labour benches.
And you do not spend years as Home Affairs Correspondent of The Times without learning what makes things tick.
But, judging by his performance in the Commons, the Transport Minister has completely failed to understand the fears of those who are unhappy at the prospect of heavy goods vehicle testing being handed over to private enterprise.
One would have thought that faced by opposition from such groups as the Freight Transport Association, the Institute of Transport Managers, the Road Haulage Association and the National Bus Company he would have paused to think. Or at least try to set fears at rest.
It was not to be. Mr Fowler's reaction could be summed up as "There, there! Try to grasp what's going on."
He had no excuse, for Labour's George Park pointed out to him that heavy goods vehicle operators were dubious because they felt they would not get the same impartial judgment they got at the moment.
Mr Fowler said he understood the concern, but gave no sign that this indeed was the case. In a written answer later that day he observed blandly that the private sector could provide a service better suited to the needs of the road transport industries, without lowering safety standards.
In the Commons he spoke of handing over "the purely mechanical process of the annual check," and, to reassure the doubters, added that the Department would continue to set the standards and operate their own spot-checks.
Well, the Department sets the standard for car testers as well — but I always take my 171/2-year-old Mini along to the official testing centre at Hendon every year. I believe that if it gets through — and (keep those fingers crossed) it always has — then it is fit to be on the road, while there is no temptation for the man to pass my ancient vehicle because he likes the colour of my eyes. Nor is there any point in his rejecting my perfectly good brakes and offering to fix them himself.
To add insult to injury, Mr Fowler said he didn't think note had been taken of the fact that the Department would still be concerned with standards and spot-checks.
It will be when an instant prohibition is imposed on a lorry which a slapdash private tester has certified as fit an hour before!