Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need for more charging points for electric vehicles in rural parts of the country; and what steps they are taking in response to any such assessment.

The On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) is available to all UK local authorities, including those with rural areas, to apply to and provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to private parking. £20 million is available in 2021-22.

More broadly, the Government has committed over £1.3 billion for charging infrastructure. This funding includes the Local EV Infrastructure Fund, which will be opened to English local authorities next year. This fund will facilitate the roll-out of larger scale charging infrastructure projects across the country.

To support local authorities in accessing this financial support and developing EV chargepoint strategies, DfT funds Energy Saving Trust to offer expert advice. Energy Saving Trust, in partnership with DfT, also hosts a library of webinars and guidance for local authorities on installing charging points. This includes webinars specifically for rural local authorities.

Later this year the Government will publish the EV Infrastructure Strategy which will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the whole of the UK, including rural areas. It will also set out roles and responsibilities for ensuring charging infrastructure rollout is delivered at the pace needed to transition to a zero-emission car and van fleet.