Member

The other point I wanted to ask about relates to enforcement. The DVSA is charged with enforcing the provisions of this statutory instrument in operation. The Minister was good enough to give some information on the number of fines that have been issued. These on-the-spot fines are like fixed-penalty notices; they are accompanied by a fine that you can get back if you dispute the fixed-penalty notice—but they are, in effect, on-the-spot fines. If I heard him correctly, the number that the Minister gave was 32 fines in the last year, which seems potentially on the low side. He did not give the number of checks—that is, I did not hear him say how many checks were required to result in that number of 32. I am not demanding large numbers of stops on the road and coaches constantly being pulled over. I only ask that the Minister considers, especially given the new prohibition on cabotage, whether the enforcement resources dedicated to the implementation of this instrument are adequate. If he is confident that they are and can say that to the Committee, that would be helpful. Otherwise, we are happy in all respects to support this instrument as it goes forward.