Road Safety Bill [HL]

I am grateful for the constructive work that the noble Earl has put into this amendment. We understand the thinking behind it. It is quite a reasonable proposal and is one way in which the Department for Transport can ensure that standards of vehicle roadworthiness are maintained. We have already recognised the benefits of adopting such a measure. We recently consulted on the proposal to introduce exactly that sort of covert check at MoT garages. I am sure that the noble Earl will be aware of that. The consultation received a positive response and we are in the process of amending secondary legislation to permit VOSA examiners to carry out those covert checks, with which I know the noble Lord sympathises. Registers will be kept of the vehicles involved and VOSA vehicle examiners will ensure that only relatively minor defects will be introduced on the covert vehicles. There will be no defects that would affect the safety of the driver or other road users. However, there are a number of reasons why it would not be justified to apply those covert check procedures to VOSA inspectors in heavy goods vehicle testing stations, which I think that the noble Earl is interested in doing. First, it will be recognised that there are far fewer VOSA inspectors than there are MoT testers, so standards among VOSA staff are far easier to monitor and maintain under existing arrangements. It is also important to recognise that VOSA inspectors carry out only vehicle testing. They are not involved in vehicle repairs, as are most MoT testers. As such, they are far more familiar with test procedures than most MOT testers, whose main burden of business lies elsewhere. Similarly, all VOSA goods vehicle testing stations have a standard layout of test lanes to help to ensure that standard procedures are constantly applied. Finally, VOSA inspectors are already subject to regular quality assurance checks. Even if it were decided to widen the scope of the initiative to include covert checks of VOSA goods vehicle testing stations, the legislation could—I should like to assure the noble Earl on this—be amended by statutory instrument. Therefore, if we were persuaded of the argument, we could introduce that fairly rapidly. I hope that the noble Earl will recognise, therefore, that we have some reservations about the necessity of this being extended to VOSA staff and goods vehicle testing and that he will appreciate that we understand the motives behind his amendment; we recognise the value of the work that he has carried out; and we are not hostile, in principle, to what he seeks to achieve. We think that we are achieving that in other ways. On that basis, I hope that the noble Earl will feel able to withdraw his amendment.