Road Traffic Act 1960

128 Certifying officers and public service vehicle examiners

(1) For the purpose of the provisions of this Part of this Act with respect to the certification of fitness of vehicles, the Minister may, with the approval of the Treasury, appoint such officers (in this Part of this Act referred to as " certifying officers ") as he thinks fit, and those officers shall perform such duties in relation to the examination of vehicles, the issue of certificates of fitness and otherwise, as the Minister may require.

(2) The Minister shall appoint as public service vehicle examiners such persons as he considers necessary for the purpose of the inspection of public service vehicles within the several traffic areas and for the purpose of the discharge of such other duties as the Minister considers can conveniently be discharged by persons acting as such examiners, and for that purpose may, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, make arrangements with any police authority for the appointment of members of their police force for this purpose.

In the application of this subsection to England and Wales " police authority" has the same meaning as in the Police Pensions Act, 1921, and in the application of this subsection to Scotland that expression has the same meaning as in the Police (Scotland) Act, 1956.

(3) A certifying officer or public service vehicle examiner shall at any time on production, if so required, of his authority, be entitled to enter and inspect any public service vehicle, and for that purpose may require any public service vehicle to be stopped, and may at any time which is reasonable having regard to the circumstances of the case, enter any premises on which he has reason to believe that a public service vehicle is kept, and if a person obstructs any such officer or examiner in the performance of his duty, or when required so to do fails to stop the vehicle, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.

(4) There shall be paid to or in respect of certifying officers and public service vehicle examiners such remuneration and such salaries or allowances, if any, as the Minister may, with the consent of the Treasury, determine.