Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of legislation on the use of e-scooters in public places.

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving e-scooters, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizure. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.

The Government also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles, including privately owned e-scooters, which have been used anti-socially or illegally more quickly. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.

These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of e-scooters ridden anti-socially or illegally and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

Enforcement of road traffic legislation is an operational matter for Chief Officers of local forces to decide how best to use their powers depending on the specific circumstances.