Road Safety Bill [HL]

I am grateful to the noble Earl, Lord Attlee. I assure him that the Government share his concern that goods vehicles should be properly inspected and maintained. This is one of the prime objectives of the goods vehicles licensing system. As the noble Earl will know, the traffic commissioners set requirements that applicants must meet. Before issuing a licence, traffic commissioners are required to satisfy themselves that there are satisfactory facilities and arrangements for maintaining vehicles in a fit and serviceable condition. Applicants are required to provide an example of the form or checklist that will be used for safety inspections or to state how often such inspections will be carried out. Applicants must also provide details of their maintenance facilities and staff or, if a contractor is used, the contractual arrangements for maintenance and inspection. Applicants are also required to sign an undertaking that vehicles will be kept fit and serviceable; that record of maintenance and safety inspections will be kept for 15 months; and that they will be made available to the traffic commissioner on request. This undertaking is binding and an ongoing obligation. Failure, as the noble Earl will know, to comply with it may lead to revocation of the licence. Guidance on the maintenance standards which operators are expected to meet is contained in Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness published by the Department for Transport. These include a safety inspection of each vehicle at regular intervals—normally not more than six weeks. A suggested form for recording these inspections is also included in that guide. Examiners from the department’s Vehicle and Operator Service Agency (VOSA) have powers to check maintenance arrangements and records, and to examine vehicles at the operator’s premises or the roadside. Any shortcomings will be brought to the attention of the relevant traffic commissioner. VOSA examiners aim to visit all newly licensed operators within a few months of their starting operations to ensure that they are aware of and meeting their obligations. VOSA examiners also focus their attention on operators where shortcomings have been found previously or where other intelligence suggests that requirements are not being met. I hope that this explanation will reassure the noble Earl that effective arrangements are already in force to ensure that goods vehicles are properly maintained and would ask him to withdraw his amendment.