Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) safety of the use of bright LEDs on cycles and (b) adequacy of standards regulation on those lights.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Requirements for the fitment and use of bicycle lamps are set out in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended.
Enforcement of road traffic law is generally an operational matter for individual Police Forces.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is taking steps to reduce car practical driving test waiting times in Penzance; and if the DVSA will increase the number of available time slots for those tests in that area.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To increase the number of available test slots, the DVSA is conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays; they are also buying back annual leave from driving examiners. They have deployed all eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests from the beginning of October until the end of March.
Since April 2021, measures put in place by the DVSA to reduce waiting times for its customers, together with the ongoing recruitment of driving examiners, is creating on average over 46,900 extra car test slots each month.
As of 29 January 2024, there were 533,785 car practical driving tests booked, and 130,965 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.
As of 29 January 2024, there were 19 driving tests available to book within the 24-week booking window at Camborne driving test centre (DTC); the next nearest DTC to Penzance.
The DVSA continues to monitor the deployment of its driving examiner resource. Where it identifies DTCs that require additional resource, if possible, it will redeploy staff to meet that demand.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the phase out dates for new non-zero emission L-Category vehicles on greenhouse gas emissions in each (a) region and (b) of the next ten years.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles (including mopeds and motorcycles) was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement with stakeholders. The Department is now in the process of analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.
The Government will consult on any future regulatory framework to deliver and enforce the end of sale dates for new non-zero emission L-category vehicles as is appropriate. The Government keeps all its regulations under review to ensure that they are fit for purpose and futureproofed.
The UK’s exit from the European Union has provided the opportunity for this country to develop its own regulatory approach to decarbonising its entire fleet of new road vehicles, which will help to support UK industry in the process. The proposed end of sales dates for motorcycles positions the UK as a world leader in decarbonisation, will drive innovation and create a market for zero emission L-category vehicles.
The Government considers the greenhouse gas emissions of all sectors to ensure that it meet the UK’s legally binding net zero targets by 2050. The Government’s net zero commitment requires all sectors of the UK’s economy, including motorcycles, to deliver substantial cuts to emissions to end the UK’s contribution to climate change.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the phase out dates for new non-zero emission (a) mopeds and (b) motorcycles.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles (including mopeds and motorcycles) was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement with stakeholders. The Department is now in the process of analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.
The Government will consult on any future regulatory framework to deliver and enforce the end of sale dates for new non-zero emission L-category vehicles as is appropriate. The Government keeps all its regulations under review to ensure that they are fit for purpose and futureproofed.
The UK’s exit from the European Union has provided the opportunity for this country to develop its own regulatory approach to decarbonising its entire fleet of new road vehicles, which will help to support UK industry in the process. The proposed end of sales dates for motorcycles positions the UK as a world leader in decarbonisation, will drive innovation and create a market for zero emission L-category vehicles.
The Government considers the greenhouse gas emissions of all sectors to ensure that it meet the UK’s legally binding net zero targets by 2050. The Government’s net zero commitment requires all sectors of the UK’s economy, including motorcycles, to deliver substantial cuts to emissions to end the UK’s contribution to climate change.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed phase out dates for new non-zero emission L-Category vehicles on regulatory alignment with (a) the EU and (b) other markets.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles (including mopeds and motorcycles) was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement with stakeholders. The Department is now in the process of analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.
The Government will consult on any future regulatory framework to deliver and enforce the end of sale dates for new non-zero emission L-category vehicles as is appropriate. The Government keeps all its regulations under review to ensure that they are fit for purpose and futureproofed.
The UK’s exit from the European Union has provided the opportunity for this country to develop its own regulatory approach to decarbonising its entire fleet of new road vehicles, which will help to support UK industry in the process. The proposed end of sales dates for motorcycles positions the UK as a world leader in decarbonisation, will drive innovation and create a market for zero emission L-category vehicles.
The Government considers the greenhouse gas emissions of all sectors to ensure that it meet the UK’s legally binding net zero targets by 2050. The Government’s net zero commitment requires all sectors of the UK’s economy, including motorcycles, to deliver substantial cuts to emissions to end the UK’s contribution to climate change.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the response by the Motorcycle Industry Association to the consultation entitled When to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles, published in September 2022, whether he plans to undertake the readiness checks proposed by the Motorcycle Industry Association before the phasing out new non-zero emission L-Category vehicles.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles (including mopeds and motorcycles) was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement with stakeholders. The Department is now in the process of analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.
The Government will consult on any future regulatory framework to deliver and enforce the end of sale dates for new non-zero emission L-category vehicles as is appropriate. The Government keeps all its regulations under review to ensure that they are fit for purpose and futureproofed.
The UK’s exit from the European Union has provided the opportunity for this country to develop its own regulatory approach to decarbonising its entire fleet of new road vehicles, which will help to support UK industry in the process. The proposed end of sales dates for motorcycles positions the UK as a world leader in decarbonisation, will drive innovation and create a market for zero emission L-category vehicles.
The Government considers the greenhouse gas emissions of all sectors to ensure that it meet the UK’s legally binding net zero targets by 2050. The Government’s net zero commitment requires all sectors of the UK’s economy, including motorcycles, to deliver substantial cuts to emissions to end the UK’s contribution to climate change.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will (a) commission a public awareness campaign on the potential merits of owning an L-Category vehicle and (b) introduce (i) grants, (ii) incentives and (iii) other demand-side policies for the L-Category vehicle sector in the period before the phase-out of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK Government’s Plug-in Vehicle Grants have been in place for over a decade. This includes the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant, which was introduced in 2017. It provides £500 towards eligible zero-emission L3 vehicles (motorcycles) and £150 towards eligible zero-emission L1 vehicles (mopeds). Through this grant, the Government has provided £8m funding to support the adoption of these vehicles.
A consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles (including mopeds and motorcycles) was conducted earlier this year. The Department is analysing the responses and will publish a response in due course.
The Government has no current plans to commission a specific public awareness campaign on the merits of owning an L-Category vehicle.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to help prevent the provision of fraudulent information to the DVLA when a vehicle's keeper changes.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has long-standing and robust measures in place to ensure that keepers notify when they buy and sell a vehicle.
It is an offence to provide the DVLA with false or misleading information and the DVLA works with key stakeholders to identify and prevent vehicle fraud. The DVLA actively gathers information and intelligence regarding illegal and improper conduct and will follow up any notifications of fraudulent activity with the relevant authorities.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the DVLA is taking to help ensure that people without internet access are able to use their services following the end of its contract with the Post Office in March 2024.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Post Office Ltd currently provides a limited range of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services and an extension to the current contract has been agreed, ensuring that DVLA services will be available at post offices until the end of March 2024.
The DVLA wants its customers to be able to access its services as quickly and as easily as possible and the role of front office counter services will form part of the considerations of future service offerings, utilising government agreements if necessary.
The vast majority of those licensing vehicles already do so online or via the DVLA’s automated telephone service, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The DVLA will continue to ensure that all customers are able to license their vehicles.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that transport infrastructure is adequately prepared before the phase-out of new non-zero emission L-Category vehicles comes into effect.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In March 2022 the Department for Transport published its EV Infrastructure Strategy, which set out its plans to accelerate the rollout of EV chargepoints. This infrastructure will also support the charging of zero emission L-Category vehicles. The strategy states that the Government’s expectation is that approximately 300,000 chargepoints will be installed across the UK by 2030, at a minimum.
The Government is committed to continuing to work with the L-Category industry to support the transition to zero emission vehicles.