Road Safety Bill [HL]

I am grateful to the noble Earl for the precise way in which he tabled the amendment. We are not about the business of increasing costs for goods vehicle drivers. However, they are obliged to provide medical evidence at application for, and renewal of, their licence. That takes the form of a medical report completed by a qualified medical practitioner following examination. The requirement is based on the second European Community directive on driving licences, which applies to driving licensing in the United Kingdom. There is currently no provision in legislation for the Department for Transport to meet the costs of that report. The general road user or the general taxpayer would be obliged to meet those costs if they were not paid by the applicant. However, we meet the cost of any further medical inquiries or examinations that are necessary where information in the report, or from another source, suggests that the individual has a medical condition which may affect their fitness to drive. So we do meet the additional costs, but not the initial ones. It would be an unfair charge upon the public purse for the initial fees to be paid. Again, this is against a background where the fee charged for completing the report would not be regulated by the DVLA. It would be the decision of the medical practitioner concerned, so it would have a distinctive, open-ended quality to it. We have made some attempt to reduce burdens on the road-haulage industry. In March 2004, the fee charged by the DVLA for a vocational licence was abolished. This cost is now met through fees for other driver and vehicle licence transactions, but adopting a similar approach to the costs of the medical report required of lorry drivers would be a substantial burden indeed. Someone would have to meet those costs, with their element of open-endedness which I mentioned. While I hear what the noble Earl says, and we are concerned to encourage the development of skills among heavy goods vehicle drivers, I hope he will recognise that this is not a proper cost upon the public purse and therefore be prepared to withdraw his amendment.