asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will introduce licensing regulations for all furniture removers irrespective of the size of vehicle used; and if he will make a statement.

No. The operators' licensing system is designed to ensure high standards of lorry operation, mainly in the context of road safety, for all operators regardless of their type of business. The present threshold of 3½ tonnes laden weight is generally satisfactory, and there are insufficient grounds for varying the threshold for a particular type of business.