Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit the removal of diesel particulate filters from cars.

It is an offence under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Regulation 61a(3)) to use a vehicle which has been modified in such a way that it no longer complies with the air pollutant emissions standards it was designed to meet. Removal of a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) will almost invariably result in a contravention of the Regulations, making the vehicle illegal to use on the road.

The Department’s officials are considering ways to develop these regulations further in order to ensure that anyone caught flouting the rules, or advertising services to circumvent the law, is brought before the courts.