Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to assist people impacted by the practice of illegitimate motor insurance.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All drivers must be insured to drive the vehicle they are using and for the purpose it is used for, and all drivers are subject to roadside enforcement by the police. Consumers should check that the firms they are purchasing insurance from are legitimate, which they can do by searching the Financial Conduct Authority’s Financial Services Register.
The Register lists all firms the FCA has approved, as well as firms that may be providing regulated products or services without the correct authorisation (including those deliberately running scams). It includes the different details unauthorised firms give out and whether they’re falsely claiming to be from an authorised firm.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has been set up by the insurance industry to share intelligence on insurance claims and to identify dubious and repeated claims. The IFB looks for evidence of organised fraud on industry databases, develops cross-industry intelligence and coordinates investigations between insurers, the police and other agencies.
In October 2024, the government introduced a new Insurance Fraud Charter. This is a voluntary agreement between the government and the insurance sector to reduce fraud, designed to identify loopholes in the insurance market, enhance collaboration and criminal justice outcomes, better understand the scale of the problem and improve victim support. Home Office is also working to develop a new Fraud Strategy.
The Government regularly engages with a variety of stakeholders on issues relating to motor insurance, including fraud, and committed in its manifesto to tackle the high cost of motor insurance. To deliver on this, the Government formed a cross-government taskforce, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury. The taskforce is expected to publish its final report in the autumn.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps his Department has taken to help mitigate the environmental impact of data centres in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s forecasts for data centre demand to 2030 are consistent with its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. The Government expects to be able to meet this demand through its plans to increase renewable power capacity, other low carbon generation and flexible and dispatchable power. The Department is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in considering potential AI Growth Zone sites and the interaction with delivering our Clean Energy Superpower Mission. The two Departments are jointly running the AI Energy Council, with a meeting and working group on the topic of sustainability currently being set up.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions has she had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) motor insurance companies on the prevalence of ghost broking in the motor insurance industry.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All drivers must be insured to drive the vehicle they are using and for the purpose it is used for, and all drivers are subject to roadside enforcement by the police. Consumers should check that the firms they are purchasing insurance from are legitimate, which they can do by searching the Financial Conduct Authority’s Financial Services Register.
The Register lists all firms the FCA has approved, as well as firms that may be providing regulated products or services without the correct authorisation (including those deliberately running scams). It includes the different details unauthorised firms give out and whether they’re falsely claiming to be from an authorised firm.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has been set up by the insurance industry to share intelligence on insurance claims and to identify dubious and repeated claims. The IFB looks for evidence of organised fraud on industry databases, develops cross-industry intelligence and coordinates investigations between insurers, the police and other agencies.
In October 2024, the government introduced a new Insurance Fraud Charter. This is a voluntary agreement between the government and the insurance sector to reduce fraud, designed to identify loopholes in the insurance market, enhance collaboration and criminal justice outcomes, better understand the scale of the problem and improve victim support. Home Office is also working to develop a new Fraud Strategy.
The Government regularly engages with a variety of stakeholders on issues relating to motor insurance, including fraud, and committed in its manifesto to tackle the high cost of motor insurance. To deliver on this, the Government formed a cross-government taskforce, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury. The taskforce is expected to publish its final report in the autumn.