Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many spot checks were made by the enforcement agencies on large goods vehicle and heavy goods vehicle emissions in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not conduct roadside spot checks on lorries, solely for emissions. The DVSA does conduct roadside mechanical spot checks on lorries, which include a check for emissions control equipment (cheat devices). Over the last three years the DVSA has carried out the following roadside mechanical spot checks on lorries:

2016/2017 – 110,570

2017/2018 – 108,050

2018/2019 – 95,280

The number of checks has reduced year-on-year because the DVSA now carries out targeted enforcement of seriously and serially non-compliant vehicles. Targeted enforcement allows compliant operators to conduct their business without expecting their vehicles to be subject to random checks.