Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle (a) untaxed and (b) abandoned vehicles on public roads.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) operates a comprehensive package of measures to tackle untaxed vehicles. These range from the use of automatic number plate recognition cameras, the wheelclamping and the removal and impounding of untaxed vehicles and court prosecutions. The DVLA works closely with the police and local authorities to address untaxed vehicles at local levels and to share intelligence to target untaxed vehicles.

The latest information available, published in December 2023, showed that 98.7 per cent of vehicles across the UK were correctly licensed, an evasion rate of just 1.3%. More information is available at Vehicle excise duty evasion statistics: 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The removal of abandoned vehicles is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. The police also have the powers to remove immediately any vehicle that is causing an obstruction, is likely to cause danger or is broken down or abandoned without lawful authority.