Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 10 December 2018 (HL11832), how many roadside checks, which involved checks on whether buses, coaches, or lorries have a tyre fitted which is more than ten years old, were conducted in the last three years for which figures are available; and how many such cases were referred by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) carried out the following number of roadside checks (mechanical checks/encounters) involving buses, coaches and lorries, in the last 3 calendar years. All mechanical encounters involve a check of the condition of a tyre irrespective of its age.

Buses and coaches have been checked from June 2017 to identify if they have a tyre that is more than ten years old fitted on the front axle. When conducting roadside checks, the DVSA has a process in place to identify tyres that are more than 10 years old, irrespective of condition, and will conduct follow up investigations with operators.

No such cases have been referred by the DVSA to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner since the referral process began in December 2018.