Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2014 to Question 211087, if he will bring forward proposals to prevent, by means of (a) a mandatory seal and (b) other measures motorcyclists tampering with their exhausts after passing the MOT noise test.

The MOT test does not, as a matter of principle, involve modifying the vehicles tested in any way. This is in part to ensure that the vehicle owner can have confidence that their vehicle is not damaged by the test. We would be happy to consider proposals to make enforcement against noisy motorcyclists easier. It is doubtful a mandatory seal is a practical and proportionate measure, as many motorcyclists need to make legitimate repairs or modifications to their exhausts between annual tests.