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 - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
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 - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
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 - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
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 - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
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 - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
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 - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
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
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.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what further progress they have made towards making the use of roll bars on quad bikes mandatory.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
There are no plans to make the use of roll bars on quad bikes mandatory. Research by the Health and Safety Executive on quad bikes used in the workplace is that Roll Over Protection Systems, which includes roll bars, may lead to an increased risk of injury in the event of an overturn by either preventing the operator from separating from the machine or striking the operator as the machine overturns.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what contingency planning they have undertaken to manage any disruption to the availability of goods resulting from a lack of shipping crew eligible for the Frontier Worker Permit.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Department for Transport has not undertaken contingency planning regarding a lack of seafarers being eligible for the Frontier Work Permits causing disruption of availability of goods to / from Northern Ireland. These policies are held by the Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office respectively.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take, if any, to introduce regulations which enable the provision of roll bars on quad bikes.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The technical requirements for quad bikes depends on their intended use. Road or agricultural bikes must be type approved, while those classed as machinery need to meet the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008.
Following research by the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain (HSE) the advice for quad bikes used in workplace settings is that ROPS are not recommended. It was shown that ROPS may lead to an increased risk of injury in the event of an overturn by either preventing the operator from separating from the machine or striking the operator as the machine overturns.
The Government plans to consult on replacing the current, interim, approval scheme for road and agricultural quads, with a full type GB scheme. Any new evidence supplied during this process will be given consideration.