Inspectors' Powers
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k PROTEST was made in the Lords "I this week at the lack of factual eviince from the Government explaining s decision to withdraw the power of tights-and-measures inspectors to stop )at lorries on the highway.
It came from Baroness Burton of oventry who said that, so far as she 3uld see, this recommendation found ivour with nobody at all.
She had started-off by asking whether le Government knew of any occasion ithin the past five years on which high'ay authorities had found it necessary to sic weights-and-measures authorities to istruct their inspectors to pay more egard to the needs of traffic movement hen stopping coal lorries on the highay.
Lord Chesham, Parliamentary Secretary ) the Ministry of Transport, told her at the Government had no knowledge f any such occasion. This information ould be obtained only by consulting each f the many authorities concerned and e did not think this would he justified, He said that the Ministry regarded the power as out of keeping with presentday conditions on the road and with the powers of a great many other officials who carried out enforcement work. It dated from a time when vehicles and road conditions were vastly different.
Lady Burton pressed for a reason why the decision had been taken and said most . of the interests concerned in the matter—institutes of weights and measures, local authorities and the trade itself—did not agree at all with what was being put forward.
Lord Stonham asked whether the Ministry would not be influenced by the fact that nearly every important local authority was most perturbed about losing these powers.
He was aware that people were disturbed about this. replied Lord Chesham, and the following day Lord Derwent. Minister of State to the Board of Trade, said a number of representations in favour of giving inspectors this power had been received.
Lord Dement told Lady Burton that the Board of Trade had received no formal representations from the B.R.E. on the proposal in the Weights and Measures Bill that inspectors should not have this stopping power. He understood, however, that the federation was in agreement with the provisions of the Bill on this matter_