2,000 too many
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TWO THOUSAND heavy goods vehicles, operating under exemption certificated due to delays at testing stations were far too many, declared Mr Norman Fowler, the Transport Minister, when an MP gave the figure in the Commons. • The Member, Mr Keith Stainton (Tory, Sudbury and Woodbridge) was particularly concerned abgut the 4,000 vehicles which were "statistically dangerous.'
Mr Fowler said that the cause went back to industrial action and recruitment problems in 1979. The number had been much higher last November, when about 29,000 were outstanding_ By March the number had been reduced to 17,000 but increased calls on testing capacity, which always arose in the spring and which had produced 2,000 more test applications a week than last autumn, had temporarily reversed the downward trend. A steady improvement in the position was expected from this Monday onwards. ,