Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with the car insurance sector regarding (a) the cost of premiums and (b) the variations in that cost around the UK.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department has held a number of meetings with the motor insurance industry on a range of topics. The cost of motor insurance is the responsibility of insurers based on the applicant’s risk. This includes factors such as the driver’s age, driving record, type of vehicle and where they live. Data from the ABI’s quarterly average private comprehensive tracker shows that the average premium in Quarter 3 2015 is 6.7% lower than in Quarter 3 2012.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce licensing conditions for taxi drivers to ensure they will carry guide dogs and other assistance dogs.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Equality Act 2010 includes a legal requirement for all taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to carry assistance dogs and not to charge more for doing so. Local licensing authorities are able to take appropriate action in the event that licensed drivers fail to comply with this duty.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department plans to allocate to achieving its target of 55 per cent of children walking to school; and how his Department arrived at that figure.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Funding decisions will be made at the future Spending Review. In addition, the government intends to produce a Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). This Strategy will set out how the government’s ambitions on walking – and cycling – will be achieved. On 25 June, I announced that officials had been instructed to begin work on the secondary legislation required to commence the relevant section of the Infrastructure Act to commit government to the publication of the CWIS, as soon as is practicable, once all activities deemed necessary have been undertaken.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2015 to Question 2298, how much DVLA received from vehicle excise duty (a) fees and (b) fines in each of the most recent five years for which figures are available.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The table below shows the vehicle excise duty and the total fine income collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
Financial Year | Vehicle Excise Duty Collected | Fines |
2010-11 | £5,782 million | £49 million |
2011-12 | £5,932 million | £38 million |
2012-13 | £6,013 million | £42 million |
2013-14 | £6,052 million | £41 million |
2014-15 | £6,123 million | £35 Million |
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2015 to Question 2298, what income the DVLA received from vehicle excise duty; and what that income has been used for in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The table below shows the amount of vehicle excise duty collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the last five years. All the duty collected is paid in full to HM Treasury.
Financial Year | Vehicle Excise Duty Collected |
2010-11 | £5,782 million |
2011-12 | £5,932 million |
2012-13 | £6,013 million, |
2013-14 | £6,052 million |
2014-15 | £6,123 million |
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2015 to Question 2297, what the reasons are for the recent increase in the number of vehicles clamped by other authorities.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Since the abolition of the tax disc the there has been a small increase in the number of unlicensed vehicles being used on the road which has led to more vehicles being clamped. This is due to a small subsection of motorists buying vehicles but not taxing them immediately as required. The DVLA has written to all those identified to remind them of the need to tax their vehicle.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce a right of appeal to a body outside the DVLA for drivers whose car was clamped or towed because they failed to comply with the changes to the rules on tax discs, or who did comply but this was not noted because of an administrative error by the DVLA.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Vehicles that have been clamped or impounded as a result of an administrative error are released free of charge. There are currently no plans to alter the appeals process.
Complainants can ask for their case to be referred to the Department’s Independent Complaints Assessor or to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles the DVLA clamped in each month of the most recent year for which figures are available.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The table below provides a monthly breakdown of the number of vehicles that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has clamped for the financial year 2014-15. The DVLA may also authorise others, such as, the police or local authority to take enforcement action against vehicles that are unlicensed.
Month | Number of vehicles clamped by the DVLA | Number of vehicles clamped by other authorities |
April 2014 | 4,362 | 852 |
May | 4,748 | 801 |
June | 4,686 | 844 |
July | 4,766 | 868 |
August | 4,556 | 828 |
September | 4,751 | 779 |
October | 5,008 | 798 |
November | 5,025 | 731 |
December | 5,920 | 820 |
January 2015 | 7,104 | 1,786 |
February | 7,019 | 1,722 |
March | 6,921 | 1,709 |
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much income the DVLA received from vehicle excise duty (a) fees and (b) fines in each month of the most recent year for which figures are available.
Answered by Andrew Jones
For the financial year 2013-14 the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received £6,052 million from vehicle excise duty and £41 million from fines. Monthly figures are not available.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons vehicle excise duty is no longer valid if a vehicle changes ownership; and whether motorists were consulted about that change.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The decision to end vehicle excise duty at the point of sale was introduced as a consumer protection measure to prevent those purchasing second-hand vehicles unknowingly keeping an unlicensed vehicle in the absence of a tax disc.
This change was introduced in the Finance Act 2014. Her Majesty’s Treasury published this in draft form for public consultation in December 2013 on GOV.UK. The majority of comments received (83%) supported the change.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) also carried out a survey asking members of the public what they thought of the change and 78% of respondents were supportive.