Asked by: Caroline Flint (Labour - Don Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the reasons are for the time taken for Home Office Type Approval for mobile evidential breath testing equipment.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government recognises that drink driving is a serious threat to road safety and shares the police’s desire to have roadside evidential breath test instruments available for use as soon as practicably possible. That is why the Home Office, Department for Transport and the police have been working with manufacturers towards the Type Approval of a new generation of Mobile Evidential Breath Test Instruments (MEBTI).
The requirements of Home Office type approval is supported by a stringent and robust process to ensure that evidence from an approved instrument can be relied upon in Court. The ability to type approve also depends on the submission by manufacturers of instruments that meet the technical specification requirements and perform satisfactorily during testing. The Home Office has no control over the maturity of instruments submitted into the type approval process, nor of the performance during testing of any device submitted and therefore no control over the timeframes for type approval.
Asked by: Caroline Flint (Labour - Don Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the use of mobile evidential breathtesting equipment.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Type Approval Guide for station-based devices was released in May 2012, and a device was approved for use seven months later in December 2012. The type approval Guide for mobile devices was released in August 2013, with devices approved for use 16 months later in December 2014 and 18 months later in February 2015.
The Government recognises that drink driving is a serious threat to road safety and shares the police’s desire to have roadside evidential breath test instruments available for use as soon as practicably possible. That is why the Home Office, Department for Transport and the police have been working with manufacturers towards the Type Approval of a new generation of Mobile Evidential Breath Test Instruments (MEBTI).
The requirements of Home Office type approval is supported by a stringent and robust process to ensure that evidence from an approved instrument can be relied upon in Court. The ability to type approve also depends on the submission by manufacturers of instruments that meet the technical specification requirements and perform satisfactorily during testing. The Home Office has no control over the maturity of instruments submitted into the type approval process, nor of the performance during testing of any device submitted and therefore no control over the timeframes for type approval.
Asked by: Caroline Flint (Labour - Don Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons type approval of mobile evidential breathtesting equipment has taken longer than that of drugalysers.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Type Approval Guide for station-based devices was released in May 2012, and a device was approved for use seven months later in December 2012. The type approval Guide for mobile devices was released in August 2013, with devices approved for use 16 months later in December 2014 and 18 months later in February 2015.
The Government recognises that drink driving is a serious threat to road safety and shares the police’s desire to have roadside evidential breath test instruments available for use as soon as practicably possible. That is why the Home Office, Department for Transport and the police have been working with manufacturers towards the Type Approval of a new generation of Mobile Evidential Breath Test Instruments (MEBTI).
The requirements of Home Office type approval is supported by a stringent and robust process to ensure that evidence from an approved instrument can be relied upon in Court. The ability to type approve also depends on the submission by manufacturers of instruments that meet the technical specification requirements and perform satisfactorily during testing. The Home Office has no control over the maturity of instruments submitted into the type approval process, nor of the performance during testing of any device submitted and therefore no control over the timeframes for type approval.
Asked by: Caroline Flint (Labour - Don Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long it took to award type approval to drugalysers.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Type Approval Guide for station-based devices was released in May 2012, and a device was approved for use seven months later in December 2012. The type approval Guide for mobile devices was released in August 2013, with devices approved for use 16 months later in December 2014 and 18 months later in February 2015.
The Government recognises that drink driving is a serious threat to road safety and shares the police’s desire to have roadside evidential breath test instruments available for use as soon as practicably possible. That is why the Home Office, Department for Transport and the police have been working with manufacturers towards the Type Approval of a new generation of Mobile Evidential Breath Test Instruments (MEBTI).
The requirements of Home Office type approval is supported by a stringent and robust process to ensure that evidence from an approved instrument can be relied upon in Court. The ability to type approve also depends on the submission by manufacturers of instruments that meet the technical specification requirements and perform satisfactorily during testing. The Home Office has no control over the maturity of instruments submitted into the type approval process, nor of the performance during testing of any device submitted and therefore no control over the timeframes for type approval.
Asked by: Caroline Flint (Labour - Don Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress is being made by her Department on obtaining Home Office Type Approval for mobile evidential breath testing equipment.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government recognises that drink driving is a serious threat to road safety and shares the police’s desire to have roadside evidential breath test instruments available for use.
That is why the Home Office, Department for Transport and the police have been working with manufacturers towards the Type Approval of a new generation of Mobile Evidential Breath Test Instruments (MEBTI) as soon as practicably possible. Type approval is a complex process and relies on the submission by manufacturers of instruments which then perform satisfactorily during testing. The Home Office has no control over these factors.