COMPETENCE
AND SUBSIDIARITY
116. The Committee agrees
that the Community has competence to legislate on drink drive
limits. We also agree with the Government that there is a real
subsidiarity issue. While the Committee considers that the permitted
BAC for drivers should be reduced to 50mg/100ml, this conclusion
is reached on the merits of the proposal for the United Kingdom.
In the absence of compelling evidence as to the "clear
benefits" for the Community, we do not support the proposed
Directive harmonising drink driving limits at 50mg/100ml across
the European Union. We consider that setting the permitted BAC
level for drivers is a matter for Member State governments.
We re-iterate our support for a reduction to 50mg/100ml in the
permitted BAC level for drivers in the United Kingdom and welcome
the positive affects of convergence of BAC limits across Member
States.
RECOMMENDATION
117. The Committee considers
that this proposal raises important questions to which the attention
of the House should be drawn and recommends this Report to the
House for debate.
38 Report TRA/176, Doc CES 567/89 1/HUG/CH/em. Back
39 Commissioner
Kinnock, Q 309. Back
40 Road
Traffic Act 1988, section 4. Back
41 See
footnote 7. Back
42 Three
months if the applicant is successful. Back
43 Road
Traffic Act 1988, section 163. Back
44 Road
Traffic Act 1988, section 6. Back