Transport Cars (Direction Indicators) 44. Sir J. Crowder asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will consider making it compulsory for all new cars to he fitted with self-adjusting trafficators. The Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (Mr. John Boyd-Carpenter) I have invited the views of organisations chiefly concerned on whether the fitting of direction indicators should be made compulsory on motor vehicles generally, and I shall review the whole question in the light of the replies received. Sir J. Crowder Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that accidents may be caused if trafficators have to be put down again by hand after use? Is he aware that very often, when one is used to the self-adjusting type, they are forgotten, and as a result get broken and are then in no way satisfactory? Is he further aware that the self-adjusting trafficators cost only £1 or so more per car? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter That is just one of the points which it will be necessary to consider. I think the feature in this particular device to which my hon. Friend refers is what is rather agreeably called self-cancellation. Mr. McKibbin Is my right hon. Friend aware that, in addition to the ordinary kind of trafficators, which do not always operate satisfactorily, we now have blinking trafficators as well, and that these, together with double-dipping headlights which do not indicate to an approaching driver whether they are dipped or not, are just making confusion worse confounded? Will he consider having a standard system of lights for front, rear and side lights? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter The question of standardised headlights is a different one, but I will bear in mind my hon. Friend's views on blinking trafficators. Driving Examiners (Increase) 49. Mr. G. Williams asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what plans he has to increase the staff of examiners for learner drivers. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter I have asked the Civil Service Commission to recruit by open competition sufficient new examiners to increase their number from the present level of 510 to a total of 682. Mr. G. Williams While thanking my right hon. Friend for that satisfactory reply, will he bear in mind that the sooner he does it the better, because there is a long period of waiting in many districts? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter I agree that the delay in testing, which is due to the increased number of applicants, is unfortunate, and it is for that reason that I am attempting to recruit more examiners. Night Parking 51. Mr. Peter Freeman asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in view of the fact that reflectors are now compulsory on all cars and that many are allowed to remain on the highway at night without additional lights and that no serious difficulties have been experienced, he will take steps to permit all cars to do so provided that they are not left in positions considered by the police as unsuitable for such purpose. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter I am going into this question, but I have nothing that I can say about it today. Mr. Peter Freeman In view of the fact that there is only about 5 per cent. of the traffic on the roads at night as compared with daytime, and of the very great expense and inconvenience to motorists in having to purchase batteries and recharge them, will the Minister give the matter immediate and sympathetic consideration? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter Yes, Sir; that is exactly why I am going into it at the moment. Mr. H. Morrison Could the right hon. Gentleman circulate as a White Paper the number of things which he is going into and upon which he has not yet reached a decision? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter It would be very much shorter than a list of those of the right hon. Gentleman after six years of his Administration. Passenger Service Vehicles (Private Hire) 53. Mr. Peter Freeman asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in view of the recommendations of the Thesiger Committee in November, 1953, which would allow coach proprietors to run their omnibuses to outlying districts on certain special occasions, he will take steps to restore such facilities for the public benefit. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter So far as legislation is concerned, I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend the present Colonial Secretary said on this subject on 7th July. The present position is unsatisfactory, but it is not at all clear in which direction the hon. Member seeks to have it improved. Mr. Freeman Is it not a fact that many residents outside the ordinary urban areas and off bus routes often have great difficulty with transport, and would it not be of great benefit to them if facilities were provided whereby coach proprietors could extend their routes on special occasions when this was demanded by the public? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter I have little doubt that a difficult situation now exists in this respect, but the committee to which the hon. Member refers in his Question suggested a tightening up of licences. I am not at all sure that that would achieve the object which he has in mind. Drivers (Defective Sight) 54 and 55. Mr. Awbery asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1) if he will set up a committee of inquiry into the need for laying down a code of rules affecting motorists who need glasses for driving; (2) if he is aware that motorists with defective sight needing glasses are driving cars without glasses and are consequently a danger to the public; and if he will take steps to have endorsed where necessary on motor driving licences any need for glasses by the holder, and to make the wearing of them compulsory while driving a car. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter I am at present reviewing the question of standards of vision necessary for safe driving, following reports I have received from various expert bodies. Any question of compulsion would involve legislation. Mr. Awbery Is the Minister aware of the great danger to the public from men driving motor cars who are half blind? Is he aware that if a man can read a figure at 25 yards he is able to get a licence? Will not the Minister have examined every man who applies for a licence and, if it is necessary for the applicant to have glasses, endorse that fact on his licence to ensure that he wears glasses when driving his car? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter The difficulty is that, under the present law, if a man passes a driving test wearing glasses I have no power to compel him to wear them when driving. That is the position under the law. Mr. Awbery Is not the Minister aware that some countries compel people who use glasses to wear them when driving? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter I understand that that is the law in certain countries. Port And Railway Charges, Cardiff 59. Mr. Callaghan asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to what extent the trade of the port of Cardiff has been adversely affected by the present port charges and railway rates; and if he will consult with the British Transport Commission with a view to removing these handicaps. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter Questions of such charges are for the British Transport Commission, and I understand that the hon. Member has already written to the Chairman of the Commission on this subject. Mr. Callaghan It is quite true. I hope to get the Minister interested, too. Is the Minister aware that Cardiff dockers are working a smaller number of turns per week than the national average, and that unemployment is resulting there? As the Minister is partly responsible for port charges, if not for railway charges, will he at least look into this aspect of the matter? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter It is difficult to say what proportion of the difficulty in Cardiff, which I admit, is caused by these charges. One major fact is that coal exports are much less than they were before the war, but the trade in non-coal imports and exports through Cardiff was bigger last year than it was in 1938. Mr. Callaghan Is it not a fact that the port charges relate not merely to coal but to the general cargo, and that that is the trouble at the present time? Will the right hon. Genlteman reconsider whether Cardiff's port charges are not above those of other ports? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter The hon. Gentleman has put that point to the Chairman of the Commission. The point is that although non-coal exports through the port could be better, they are higher than they were before the war. Mr. Llewellyn Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that this matter is causing far more anxiety in Cardiff and throughout Wales than almost any other industrial problem, and that it has been hanging on for years? Will he try to get the British Transport Commission to get a move on? Mr. Boyd-Carpenter The British Transport Commission is looking into the matter. I would not like to agree that this is a very significant factor in the general problem.