Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many fixed penalty fines have been issued, and how many prosecutions have been initiated, for exceeding 30 mph or 20 mph speed limits in each of the police forces areas in England; and how that compares with estimates of the actual number of times speed limits are exceeded in 30 mph and 20 mph areas.

The Home Office does not hold the data requested. The Home Office collects data on the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued to motorists for all speeding offences, but cannot separately identify whether an individual was caught exceeding the speed limit in a 20mph zone or a 30mph zone.

The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, unless stipulated in statute, the location of an offence cannot be separately analysed. Hence it is not possible to identify whether a defendant proceeded against for a speeding offence has been caught exceeding the speed limit in a 20mph zone, or a 30mph zone. This information may be held by the individual courts in England and as such it can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.