Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve (a) access and (b) incentives for people of all ages to take up riding a powered two or three wheeled vehicle.

Grants are available from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles towards the purchase cost of a number of zero-emission motorcycles and mopeds, with the grant paying for 20% of the purchase price, up to a maximum of £1,500. Details are available via www.gov.uk/plug-in-car-van-grants/overview .

The Department is running trials of rental e-scooters to assess their safety and wider impacts. This is part of the Government’s Future of Transport regulatory review which will decide whether e-scooters and similar vehicles should be allowed on the road and, if so, what rules should apply to them.

The Government has also taken a number of steps to support the use of e-cargo bikes and other e-bikes. It has provided over £2 million to support the roll-out of e-cargo bikes, with grants covering up to 40% of the total cost of an ecargo bike, up to a maximum of £2,500 for two-wheel models and £4,500 for three-wheel models. Further details of a new national e-cycle support programme will be announced shortly. The Government is also supporting a number of English local authorities with trials of e-cycles in their areas, and e-cycles are also within the scope of the Cycle to Work scheme allowing employees to access them at a discount.