Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will announce a timeline for a full-scale licensing review for mopeds, motorcycles and other powered light vehicles, and if so when, .
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government welcomes and is open to discussing ideas for reform of the existing licensing regime for powered light vehicles known as L category vehicles where they do not compromise safety standards.
While there are not currently any plans to reform L category licenses, Ministers and officials have met with motorcycle stakeholder representatives to listen to and discuss various motorcycle initiatives, including ideas for reform. The Minister for Road Transport will meet with the MCIA and other motorcycle stakeholders in a roundtable format on 8 May to this and other issues.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the causes of motorcyclist fatalities.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DfT reported road casualty statistics reports numbers of personal injury road traffic collisions in Great Britain that were reported to the police using the STATS19 reporting system.
STATS19 does not record the causes of collisions. However, attending police officers can record up to six factors that they believe contributed to collisions as part of the STATS19 dataset. Officers do not need to carry out a full investigation of the collision before allocating factors, usually using professional judgement about what they can see at the scene.
The statistics for the top five contributory factors assigned to road collisions involving motorcyclist fatalities is set out in the table below.
Table: Top 5 contributory factors attributed in reported road collision involving motorcyclist fatalities in Great Britain, 2022
Contributory factor reported in collision | 2022 motorcyclist fatalities |
Driver/Rider failed to look properly | 93 |
Driver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry | 80 |
Exceeding speed limit | 78 |
Loss of control | 76 |
Driver/Rider failed to judge other person`s path or speed | 69 |
The safety of vulnerable road users is a priority for the Government. For road users who choose to travel by motorcycle, the Department remains committed to ensuring that they are equipped with the specialist skills necessary to stay safe on the road. In 2019, we published the Road Safety Statement, which includes a range of specific actions and research initiatives for motorcycles, designed to understand the risks and increase protection and improve training, education and safety advice.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the prevalence of motorcyclists failing to wear helmets, and its impact on motorcyclist fatalities.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not hold this data.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impacts on consumer and investor confidence of the delay to the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) mandate will support the delivery of the 2035 phase out dates and remains one of the most ambitious regulatory frameworks in the world. It will secure adequate supply of ZEVs to support continued consumer uptake of these vehicles.
The ZEV mandate also provides long term policy certainty to industry, generating inward investment in the automotive and chargepoint sectors. This is demonstrated in the scale of investment from the private sector. Over the last few years there has been over £6 billion private investment in the electric vehicle industry, including from Tata, BMW, Stellantis and Nissan. In addition, the UK chargepoint industry has committed £6 billion in the development and operation of chargepoints before 2030.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal by the Motorcycle Association Industry, as part of its new campaign "A Licence to Net Zero", to merge the motorcycle module 1 and module 2 tests.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has not yet made an assessment of the the Motorcycle Industry Association proposal to merge the motorcycle module 1 and module 2 tests, as set out in their "A Licence to Net Zero” campaign. The Government is open to discussing ideas for reform of the existing motorcycle testing requirements and the wider licensing regime for powered light vehicles known as L category vehicles where they do not compromise safety standards. The Government intends to engage with the Motorcycle Industry Association in the coming weeks to discuss and consider how they align with existing work and planning linked to motorcycle testing.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanisms are in place within the Department for Transport to ensure that its different teams actively communicate and collaborate on policy matters relating to the Motorcycle Industry Association and Zemo Partnership joint action plan, Realising the Full Potential of Zero Emission Powered Light Vehicles: A Joint Action Plan for Government and Industry.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department remains abreast of all policy matters relating to L-category vehicles and the joint Action Plan. When an issue emerges that cuts across several policy areas, officials from different teams across the Department work together to respond. Decisions on each of these policy matters fall under the responsibility for the Minister with the relevant portfolio.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the Department for Transport co-ordinates policy efforts across its teams in relation to the joint action plan, Realising the Full Potential of Zero Emission Powered Light Vehicles: A Joint Action Plan for Government and Industry, by the Motorcycle Industry Association and Zemo Partnership.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department remains abreast of all policy matters relating to L-category vehicles and the joint Action Plan. When an issue emerges that cuts across several policy areas, officials from different teams across the Department work together to respond. Decisions on each of these policy matters fall under the responsibility for the Minister with the relevant portfolio.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the existing L-Category licensing regime to (1) improve access, (2) reduce costs, and (3) help accelerate progress towards net zero.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is open to discussing ideas for reform of the existing motorcycle testing requirements and the wider licensing regime for powered light vehicles known as L category vehicles where they do not compromise safety standards. The Government has received proposals from the Motorcycle Industry Association calling for such reform. The Government intends to engage with the MCIA on these proposals in the coming weeks in order to discuss and better understand them.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to involve the DVSA Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group in reviewing the existing L-Category licensing regime.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is open to discussing ideas for reform of the existing licensing regime for powered light vehicles known as L category vehicles where they do not compromise safety standards. The Government intends to engage with the Motorcycle Industry Association in the coming weeks to discuss their proposals for reform in order to better understand them.
The Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group’s remit is to consider the wider issues affecting motorcyclists including powered two wheelers and personal light vehicles. This includes developments affecting road safety and the training and testing for riders in the motorcycle sector. The group will therefore be made aware of any proposals to review the existing L-Category licensing regime.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to counter misinformation about the cost, environmental impact and features of electric vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 2 October, as part of the Plan for Drivers, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that the Government will continue to champion the transition to zero emission vehicles, by addressing common misconceptions and showing how they can be a practical option for most drivers. Further details will be announced in due course.