Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Westminster Council about the (1) misuse, and (2) inappropriate parking, of e-bikes and e-scooters within a one-mile radius of the parliamentary estate.

The police have the powers they need within road traffic and anti-social behaviour legislation to enforce the law, including in relation to illegal e-scooter use and illegal driving. Decisions on when to use these powers are an operational matter for individual Chief Officers of police who will decide how to deploy available resources, taking into account any specific local problems and demands.

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour (ASB). This includes Civil Injunctions and Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs).

It is for local authorities, forces and agencies to decide how best to use these powers depending on the specific circumstances as they are best placed to understand what is causing the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.

The police have powers under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Police Reform Act 2002 to seize vehicles being driven illegally without a valid driving licence or insurance or in an anti-social manner. It is for the officer dealing with an incident to collect and consider in each case the evidence available and decide whether there might have been an offence and if so what action to take.

We expect the police to work collaboratively with local authorities to deal with these matters.