Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to mitigate the rising cost of insurance for electric and hybrid vehicles.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - 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.
It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
However, the Department will continue to engage with motor insurance stakeholders to understand the challenges facing motor insurance providers and any potential solutions. The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly, and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet representatives of insurance companies to discuss bringing down the cost of car insurance.
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.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of progress on the implementation of the [a] headlamp aiming criteria and [b] requirements for mandatory automatic headlamp levelling agreed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s road vehicle lighting expert group in April 2023.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Progress is being made at the United Nations to change the relevant regulations to introduce revised headlamp aiming criteria and mandatory headlamp levelling. The administrative process and transitional provisions permit sufficient time for vehicle manufacturers to redesign their products and adapt the manufacturing process to ensure conformity with the tighter tolerances, and is expected to come into effect in September 2027.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to help reduce automobile theft in (a) the UK and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling theft of and from vehicles. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that neighbourhood crime is down 48% in the year ending September 2023 when compared to the year ending March 2010.
We are 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. The Metropolitan Police Service is represented on the Working Group.
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.
We are 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: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with car manufacturers on trends in car insurance prices in the last 12 months.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department for Transport officials regularly engage with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues including the cost of insurance.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to limit the use of LED bulbs in vehicle headlights.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All types of road vehicle headlamps are designed, tested and approved to internationally recognised standards to help prevent undue glare on a broad range of roads and environments. However, the Government is aware of concerns raised by members of the public in relation to headlamp glare and we are considering options for addressing this.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2024 to Question 7457 on Motor Vehicles: Insurance, if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) attendance of meetings his Department has held with representatives of the motor insurance industry in the last 12 months.
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. The meetings tend to be informal so minutes and attendance at them are not kept.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to highlight (a) statutory and (b) Highway Code rules relating to idling vehicles.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Enforcement against idling is primarily the responsibility of Local Authorities, who have powers to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to drivers idling unnecessarily. Guidance for Local Authorities on idling enforcement makes clear that they should take steps to publicise the need to avoid idling to improve air quality and the penalties for failing to do so.
Asked by: Lord Robathan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered making it a legal requirement for every new car to have a spare wheel.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government currently has no plans to introduce a legal requirement for the inclusion of spare wheels on all new cars. There are various solutions to flat tyres including full-sized spare wheels, a temporary use space-saver spare, or a sealant and inflation kit. Many manufacturers choose to provide a sealant and inflation kit which has benefits in reducing the weight of the vehicle and increasing usable space.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of defining off road bikes as motor vehicles on levels of anti-social behaviour.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
All motorbikes are considered to be motor vehicles and there are no plans to change this.
The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB). We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.
We provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.