Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to enforce vehicle excise duty rules for car rental companies that use vehicles registered outside the UK.

Foreign registered vehicles brought temporarily into the UK by non-UK residents are exempt from UK registration and the payment of vehicle excise duty for up to six months in any 12-month period.

When the keeper of a vehicle becomes resident in the UK, or the vehicle has remained in the UK for more than six months, the vehicle should be registered and vehicle excise duty paid in line with UK laws.

Where there is sufficient evidence that the six-month rule is breached, enforcement action can be taken by the police, local authorities with devolved powers or the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.