Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether self-driving wheel-based robots can be used on British highways, and if so, in what circumstances; whether they are covered by road traffic and other highways legislation; whether third party insurance is required for their use; and whether such robots must carry information as to their owners and operators and, when used for the purposes of transporting goods, the nature of those goods.

It is possible to test automated vehicles on the UK's roads. Our world-leading Code of Practice clearly and simply sets out that tests must be carried out in line with UK law and that there must be: a driver or operator who is present, ready, able and willing to take control if necessary; appropriate insurance in place; and the vehicle must be road worthy.

In terms of enabling the safe use of automated vehicle technology, we have embarked on a rolling programme of regulatory reviews. The first wave of this programme began earlier this year with our consultation on insurance for automated vehicles and changes to the regulatory framework for driving for advanced driver assistance systems. We now intend to take forward automated vehicle insurance measures in the Modern Transport Bill as announced in this year's Queens Speech.