Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is taking steps with counterparts in Azerbaijan to track the final destinations of UK exported vehicles.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has banned the direct export of thousands of goods to Russia, including luxury vehicles. UK Regulations also prohibit the circumvention of our sanctions. We have been clear to UK business that they need to satisfy themselves that their goods will not end up in Russia. With EU and US partners, we are engaging a range of third countries to reduce the risk of sanctioned goods reaching Russia.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor the end destination of vehicle exports to ensure compliance with international sanctions.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is responsible for the civil and criminal enforcement of export controls and trade sanctions which fall within its customs remit. In addition, for certain trade sanctions outside its customs, HMRC enforces under criminal law on referral from a civil enforcement body.
At UK ports and airports, HMRC in partnership with Border Force carries out targeted risk and intelligence-based checks to ensure traders are compliant with sanction measures and identify breaches.
HMRC takes breaches of sanctions seriously and undertakes a preliminary investigation into all credible allegations of Trade Sanctions offences.
Options for tackling breaches of export controls or sanctions range from the issuing of written warnings, through to compound settlements and, in the most serious cases, referral to the UK Prosecution Authorities for consideration of criminal prosecution.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle car crime in north London.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime. The latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows there were 726,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2023. This represents a 39% fall, when compared with the year ending March 2010, when there was an estimated 1,198,000 such incidents.
The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues. The Metropolitan Police Service are represented on the Working Group and have an established vehicle crime lead.
We are also legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on (a) the number of pedicabs outside Greater London that are licensed as (i) taxis and (ii) private hire vehicles and (b) the number and proportion of those pedicabs that are in (A) Oxford, (B) Salisbury, (C) Bristol and (D) Cambridge; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on the number of licensed pedicabs of paragraph 8.3 of his Department's guidance entitled Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing best practice guidance for licensing authorities in England, updated on 17 November 2023.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Outside London pedicabs can be licensed as taxis. Pedicabs cannot be licensed as a private hire vehicle as legislation defines a private hire vehicle as a motor vehicle. The Department for Transport issues guidance on licensing taxis and private hire vehicles to authorities who should consider the recommendations made and their obligation under the Regulators’ Code to carry out their activities in a way that supports those they regulate to comply and grow. The Best Practice Guidance to licensing authorities in England sets out that where there is local interest in providing pedicab services, licensing authorities should make appropriate adjustments to their licensing requirements for drivers and vehicles to accommodate these requests. Subject to the legal requirements, it is for licensing authorities to consider the appropriate licensing requirements to operate a pedicab under a taxi and taxi driver licence.
The Department does not hold data on the number of pedicabs licensed as taxis in England.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 8.3 of his Department's publication entitled Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing best practice guidance for licensing authorities in England, updated on 17 November 2023, what guidance his Department plans to provide on the appropriate adjustments that licensing authorities should make to their licensing requirements for drivers and vehicles to provide pedicab services outside Greater London.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Outside London pedicabs can be licensed as taxis. Pedicabs cannot be licensed as a private hire vehicle as legislation defines a private hire vehicle as a motor vehicle. The Department for Transport issues guidance on licensing taxis and private hire vehicles to authorities who should consider the recommendations made and their obligation under the Regulators’ Code to carry out their activities in a way that supports those they regulate to comply and grow. The Best Practice Guidance to licensing authorities in England sets out that where there is local interest in providing pedicab services, licensing authorities should make appropriate adjustments to their licensing requirements for drivers and vehicles to accommodate these requests. Subject to the legal requirements, it is for licensing authorities to consider the appropriate licensing requirements to operate a pedicab under a taxi and taxi driver licence.
The Department does not hold data on the number of pedicabs licensed as taxis in England.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with car insurance providers on the cost of insurance for young drivers.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance. However, it is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.
There is evidence to suggest that younger drivers and those with less experience carry a higher risk. Some insurers have introduced the use of telematics or in-car black boxes to allow better risk-based pricing of insurance, especially for new drivers. It means insurers now have a real time data feed, which allows them to see an individual’s driving behaviour; this had not been possible in the past. This can help reduce insurance premiums if drivers show good driving behaviour with a black box installed in their cars.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with insurers on encouraging car owners to fit car security systems to (a) deter theft and (b) reduce their insurance premiums.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
New cars and light commercial vehicles require systems to prevent unauthorised use, immobilisers and a vehicle alarm system to enable them to be registered.
Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance. However individual insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer. The Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders on the level of vehicle exports to Azerbaijan.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
DBT ministers regularly meet with sector bodies and companies to discuss a variety of issues. This includes meetings with The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and automotive companies where trade issues are discussed.
Asked by: Earl Attlee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their policy is on enforcing the size requirements for signage in paragraph 15 of Schedule 1 to the Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003; and, in particular, under what circumstances a vehicle would be stopped from being used on roads under this provision.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA), as amended, allows the Secretary of State to make regulations generally as to the use of motor vehicles and trailers on roads, their construction and equipment and the conditions under which they may be so used.
Section 41(2)(b) permits the regulations to make provisions concerning the particulars to be marked on motor vehicles and trailers by means of the fixing of plates or otherwise and the circumstances in which they are to be marked.
Existing requirements for the size tolerance for signage under the Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003 is considered appropriate for standard manufacturing techniques and adequate to facilitate good visibility for road safety and enforcement purposes, although these are kept under constant review.
In common with other road traffic laws, enforcement of these requirements is an operational matter for the police.
Asked by: Earl Attlee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to increasing the size tolerance for signage in paragraph 15 of Schedule 1 to the Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003 in the interests of simplifying transportation for industry.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA), as amended, allows the Secretary of State to make regulations generally as to the use of motor vehicles and trailers on roads, their construction and equipment and the conditions under which they may be so used.
Section 41(2)(b) permits the regulations to make provisions concerning the particulars to be marked on motor vehicles and trailers by means of the fixing of plates or otherwise and the circumstances in which they are to be marked.
Existing requirements for the size tolerance for signage under the Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003 is considered appropriate for standard manufacturing techniques and adequate to facilitate good visibility for road safety and enforcement purposes, although these are kept under constant review.
In common with other road traffic laws, enforcement of these requirements is an operational matter for the police.