No; it is necessary to have the co-operation of the police to do that. I am sorry I did not mention that, and I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for reminding me.

It is not always realised that this scheme of annual testing covers light goods vehicles as well as private cars, and light vehicles constitute well over half the goods vehicle fleet. Comprehensive testing of heavy vehicles requires special equipment and techniques beyond the scope of most existing test stations, so that it is not possible to extend the existing scheme as it stands. But even with things as they are, the traffic and vehicle examiners are a pretty formidable enforcement body. In numbers they equal the police force of a city such as Cardiff, and they exceed in number the total factory inspectorate of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour. They secure about 20,000 convictions a year, and they serve prohibitions on over 30,000 vehicles as well.

As I have explained, the licensing authorities have power to revoke or suspend carrier licences, but they use these powers sparingly, partly because revoking a licence is a serious step affecting the livelihood, possibly, of both employer and employee, and partly because the Road Traffic Act restricts the use of revocation to cases involving repeated or serious offences. Last year, as the hon. Gentleman knows, there were 13 revocations and 19 suspensions. But perhaps the main reason for not revoking is that the licensing authority often finds that for operators whose conduct is marginally bad a warning, with the threat of ultimately losing the licence, is enough to produce markedly improved behaviour.

The hon. Gentleman did not wish to deal with the economic aspects of the licensing authorities' functions, so I shall say nothing about that. As he knows, the whole system is being surveyed by the Geddes Committee, and what will come out of that, nobody knows at present. One thing I can say—I want to say this very firmly—is that, though the future is uncertain, as always the licensing authorities are carrying out the enforcement procedure with the highest sense of public service.