Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the level of taxation on large polluting vehicles in line with countries such as France.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. For certain vehicle classifications, VED liability is partially calculated in accordance with the vehicle’s weight, reflecting the greater road damage caused by heavier vehicles. For example, Heavy Goods Vehicle VED rates are set based on a vehicle’s weight, suspension and trailer.

The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to account for car weight in vehicle excise duty.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. For certain vehicle classifications, VED liability is partially calculated in accordance with the vehicle’s weight, reflecting the greater road damage caused by heavier vehicles. For example, Heavy Goods Vehicle VED rates are set based on a vehicle’s weight, suspension and trailer.

The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of new taxes on electric vehicles (EVs), such as a pay-per-mile scheme, on manufacturers' ability to increase EV sales in line with the zero-emission vehicle mandate.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government keeps the tax system under review, with changes announced at fiscal events and careful consideration given to the impacts of any changes.

The government remains committed to supporting the transition to electric vehicles, which is key to meeting our net zero goals and will drive growth and productivity across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of international evidence on the use of alcohol interlocks within offender rehabilitation programmes.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

In 2021, the Government commissioned PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety) to publish a report on alcohol interlocks: https://www.pacts.org.uk/locking-out-the-drink-driver-using-alcohol-interlocks-to-reduce-drink-driving-in-the-uk/.

We, in the Ministry of Justice, believe that courts should have the flexibility they need to sentence offenders appropriately and, as part of a community or suspended sentence the courts have a range of robust powers to punish and rehabilitate offenders and protect the public. This includes the option for an Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring Requirement which imposes an alcohol ban for up to 120 days, with compliance electronically monitored using an alcohol tag.

Published statistics show a compliance rate with the ban of 97.2% for days monitored, since introduction, Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, June 2023 - GOV.UK. The courts also have powers to include treatment requirements as part of a sentence served in the community, with the aim of addressing the root causes of offending.

The Government keeps motoring offences under review, including those for drink driving. The Ministry of Justice is committed to continuous improvement and innovation, and we will continue to assess the capabilities and reliability of technology.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact alcohol interlocks will have on improving road safety.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for ten years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences, such as drink driving. We intend to publish this by the end of the year.

In 2019 the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) was awarded a grant from the Department for Transport to undertake research into the feasibility of the using alcohol interlocks (“alcolocks”) as part of drink-drive offender rehabilitation programmes. This research examined alcohol interlock usage in other countries.