Wages Blamed for Licence Fee Increase
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RIGHER pay for licensing officials wasblamed in the House of Commons, last week, for recent increases in the cost of public service vehicle licences and certificates of fitness. Mr. G. R. H. Nugent. Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, said that the licensing system, which had usually always been self-supporting, had a deficit of £91,000 in 1955-56, which last year went up to £172,000. "We feel that this deficit cannot continue," he told Mr. Ernest Davies (Lab., Enfield East), who had asked the reason for the new scale of charges. "The system must be paid for either by the taxpayers or the operators, and the tradition is that it should be Rid for by the operators." 4efe, Mr. Davies had asked for the removal of the new scale, which increases the cost of licences from £4 to £6 and certificates of fitness from 15 to £5 10s. The road passenger transport industry was suffering from great handicaps, he said, and the new imposition was another blow, although a minor one, being struck at it by the Government. He suggested that instead of higher fees, administrative costs could be cut. ‘1'? In fact, the system itself might to be overhauled, because it was complex and cumbersome at the present time. One step towards this could be the issuing of fleet public service vehicle licences, instead of one for every vehicle, he said. This ivould cut down the number of licences issued from 75,000 to 5,000, which would make it unnecessary to raise fees. Mr. David Jones (Lab., HartlepOols), who supported Mr. Davies, asked what the Ministry had done to streamline its services since 1952, when the last increase was made. Irritating little pinpricks finally decided many bus companies to withdraw their services, and it ought to be possible for the Ministry to reorganize and cut costs. After Mr. Nugent's statement, Mr. Davies withdrew his motion that the inereaseS should be abolished,