Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the powers the police have to prevent the use of illegally modified electric bikes that do not conform to regulations on roads.

Ministers and officials meet with their counterparts on a regular basis and discuss a wide range of topics.

The police have powers under the Police Reform Act 2002 to deal with vehicles being used anti-socially and under the Road Traffic Act 1988 to deal with vehicles being ridden without insurance or driving licence. How the police use these powers is an operational matter.

The Government announced proposals in the Crime and Policing Bill to strengthen existing powers to clamp down on vehicles, including illegally modified electric bikes, involved in anti-social behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing vehicles.

On 28 May, the Government launched a 6-week consultation on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially and which have been ridden without insurance or a driving licence from 14 days to 48 hours and 7 days respectively. Combined, these proposals will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and illegally by sending a clear message to would be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.