Road Transport
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Topics in Parliament
By Our Special Parliamentary Corresporultnt
REASONS FOR NON-ENDORSEMENT TO BE STATED?
SKED it he would introduce legisla tion which would require justices to state publicly what were the special reasons' which had led them to order that a driver's licence should not be endorsed as a result of a conviction for exceeding a speed limit, the Minister of Transport replied that he had noted the suggestion and would nrit overlook it in any amendment of the Road Traffic Acts.
SPECIAL COURTS FOR" ENOORSEMENT CASES.
THE Home Secretary was asked by Sir John Mellor to secure that notice should be given to persons. whom the police intended to charge With motoring offences, so soon as was practicable after the alleged commission of an offence. Sir John Simon replied that Parliament had dealt with the matter in Section 21 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, and he had no reason to doubt that chief officers of police complied with that provision.
When it was pointed out that defendants were often seriously embarrassed in their defence, through not re ceiving notice that a charge would be preferred until a considerable time after the date of the alleged offence, Sir John Simon replied that he was sure that there was no deliberate intention to do that.
Sir John Mellor then suggested that all motoring charges, which rendeved a defendant liable to an endorsement of his licence,, should be tried by specially constituted courts. In reply, it was stated that, under Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, the court, before which a person was convicted of any criminal offence in connection with the driving of a motor vehicle (not being an offence under Part 4 of the Act), Might order particulars of the conviction to he endorsed on the offender's licence. Sir John Mellor's suggestion, therefore, would involve the hearing of nearly all motoring charges by specially constituted courts.
DISCONTENT ABOUT COACH-TOUR CURTAILMENT.
ATTENTION was called by Mr. !GRowson to the dissatisfaction prevailing in Lancashire and Cheshire among coach proprietors and their patrons concerning the decision of the South-Eastern Commissioners to curtail and prohibit certain coach tours to the south and west-coast resorts. He asked whether the .M.inister. of Transport would take steps to have the matter. reconsidered. Mr. Hore-Eclislia replied that his jurisdiction was appellate and was being invoked.