Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the effects of (1) vehicle speeds, and (2) journey times, on emissions in urban areas; and if so, whether higher (a) vehicle speeds, or (b) journey times, have a greater effect on emissions levels.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has commissioned studies to assess the impact of vehicle speed on emissions, for example undertaking a high-resolution emission modelling approach to understand changes in vehicle speeds and how it relates to emissions. The Department uses the best available evidence to model emissions in urban areas, including evidence linking vehicle speeds with emissions based on international guidelines. The evidence is that the factors influencing emissions are complex and the relative impact of vehicle speed, acceleration/deceleration and distance travelled (which are all related to journey times), will vary depending on the local situation.
In addition, the Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit helps local authorities to calculate NOx emissions in their local areas using outputs from traffic models, which use a range of parameters including speed and distance travelled (which influence journey time) and the number of vehicles. The results of these parameters are contained in their Full Business Cases which are all published documents.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the effects of low emission zones in urban areas on (1) vehicle usage, (2) average vehicle speeds, (3) average vehicle journey times, (4) emissions levels, and (5) overall air quality.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has commissioned a robust evaluation programme for the collection and analysis of air quality, traffic, and behavioural insights data from Local Authority areas implementing measures for the reduction of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Case studies give further understanding of how local plans are affecting local groups and businesses.
The Government has published a series of annual reports which set out and discuss the analysis of these evaluation findings. Headline findings from these reports and other analyses give an insight into the effects of Clean Air Zones and other measures on air quality and vehicle fleets in Local Authorities. The 2021 annual report is available to view on the Defra Science Search - AQ0851.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence they use to inform policy about vehicle (1) speed limits, and (2) emissions; and what assessment they have made of the emissions levels of (a) petrol, and (b) diesel, vehicles between 1,000–3,000cc travelling at a constant speed of 20mph in (i) first gear, (ii) second gear, (iii) third gear, (iv) fourth gear, (v) fifth gear, and (vi) sixth gear.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The aim of speed management is to deliver a balance between safety objectives for all road users and mobility objectives, to ensure efficient travel, as well as environmental and community outcomes. The Department has published guidance designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local needs and conditions.
The regulatory emissions tests for type approval of new vehicles are conducted under dynamic rather than constant speeds in order to be more representative of real-world use. The Department does not have specific results for the situations outlined. Transport emission factors are used within the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory to provide information on the emissions of vehicle fleets based upon factors such as their average speed, fuel type and engine capacity. These are also used within the Emissions Factor Toolkit, published by DEFRA, to assist local authorities carrying out assessment of local air quality.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to assist the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association to deliver its 2018 Plug-in Pledge that will see its members' combined plug-in vehicle fleet size increase from 50,000 to 720,000 by 2025.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
This initiative from the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association is most welcome. Many forward thinking businesses and consumers are already benefiting from whole life cost savings that can be made from choosing plug-in vehicles. The Government already offers the Plug-in Car Grant to help with the cost of purchasing electric vehicles and has pledged that this will continue in some form until at least 2020. Consumer incentives in some form will continue to play a role beyond 2020. The Government has established a favourable tax regime to incentivise the purchase of the cleanest vehicles, in particular zero emission vehicles.
The Government recognises that the availability of adequate charging infrastructure is vital and offers a variety of grant funding schemes to support recharging infrastructure in motorists’ homes, workplaces and on residential streets. The Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), funded with £200m of new Government investment and matched by £200m from private investors, will accelerate the roll-out of charging infrastructure and enable thousands more publicly accessible chargepoints. The full range of steps that the Government is taking was set out in the Road To Zero Strategy in July 2018.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of subsidy they are providing, or plan to provide, towards the cost of dredging work in the harbour area of Ramsgate.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Infrastructure work is necessary to enable the port to resume Ro-Ro services. Thanet Council is in discussion with both the Department and Seaborne Freight to finalise the funding arrangements for the infrastructure works at the port, and vital dredging work has already started.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter sent by the President of Getlink to the Secretary of State for Transport on 2 January, whether (1) the provision of £103 million to ferry operators for the provision of additional cross-Channel freight capacity breaches the concession agreement with Eurotunnel, and (2) they conducted an assessment of the impact on obligations under competition and state aid law.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
In the Government's view, the contracts do not breach the concession agreement with Eurotunnel. Obligations under competition and state aid law were taken into account as part of the contractual process.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many vehicles have been clamped for non-payment of road tax in each year since 2011.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The volume of vehicles clamped or impounded for non-payment of road tax for each financial year from 2011 is detailed in the table below.
2011-12 | 76,479 |
2012-13 | 54,998 |
2013-14 | 56,249 |
2014-15 | 77,404 |
2015-16** | 115,435 |
2016-17 | 146,405 |
2017-18 | 160,009 |
2018-19* | 68,645 |
*please note: 2018-19 figures are up to and including August 2018.
** the paper tax disc was abolished in October 2014.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the use of a segmented windscreen triple disc to indicate the date of expiry of MOT, insurance and road fund tax each separately.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government believes that the use of technology is a more effective way of preventing and detecting the unlawful use of untaxed, uninsured and untested vehicles. The police has access to the information held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the insurance industry to allow them to check compliance at the roadside.
Therefore, there are no plans to introduce a windscreen disc to indicate the expiry date of MoT, insurance and vehicle excise duty.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to the return of the windscreen tax disc.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government has no plans to re-introduce the tax disc.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and other enforcement agencies use the DVLA’s electronic vehicle information to confirm that vehicle excise duty has been paid.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any reconsideration of road fund tax disc compliance policy is taking place following publication of the most recent DVLA annual report.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
More than 98 per cent of vehicles on the road are currently taxed and as the annual report shows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) continues to collect approximately £6 billion in tax each year. This shows the overwhelming majority of motorists tax their vehicles on time.
The DVLA has a comprehensive package of measures to tackle vehicle excise duty evasion. These are kept under constant review and range from reminder letters, penalties and court prosecutions through to the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, wheel clamping and the removal of unlicensed vehicles.