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Road Safety Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 129:"After Clause 32, insert the following new clause—"    ““LICENSING OF DRIVERS OF LARGE GOODS VEHICLES: MEDICAL EXAMINATION After section 110 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52) insert—    ““110A LICENSING: NO FEES PAYABLE FOR MEDICAL EXAMINATION BY GP (1)   The costs of any medical examination required for the issue or renewal of a licence to drive a large goods vehicle shall not fall to be met by the applicant for, or holder of, the licence, provided that the condition in subsection (2) is met. (2)   The condition referred to in subsection (1) is that the examination shall be carried out by a general medical practitioner.”””” The noble Earl said: We are short on time and we are short on lorry drivers. It is very expensive to become a lorry driver as most have to pay for their own driver training—a point covered by my noble friend Lord Hanningfield. But before they can even go for an assessment, they need a medical for which they have to pay. In addition, older HGV drivers need regular medicals after a certain age. I do not dispute the need for a medical but it is a major deterrent to starting the trade of driving a lorry or to maintaining a licence that is not being used much—perhaps a holder has taken on other work or he has been promoted in the organisation but it is quite handy if he maintains a licence so that he can drive occasionally, perhaps to enable him to see what it is like for his employees. But when a GP charges a working man, whose state of health he knows perfectly well, £100, the words ““money”” and ““old rope”” come to mind. I am lucky as Her Majesty pays for my medical. I beg to move.