§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of(a) cars, (c) commercial vehicles and (c) motor bikes which are on the road without a road tax licence for the most recent year for which figures are available. [1019]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonA roadside survey involving over one million vehicles conducted in 1994 estimated that the numbers evading vehicle excise duty (VED) are as follows:
Unlicensed stock in use (thousand) Unlicensed stock as a percentage of stock in use Private and Light Goods 864 3.7 Goods 14 3.1 Motorcycle 371 35.0
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has for new measures to reduce the loss in revenue from motorists not paying their road tax. [1830]
§ Ms JacksonNew initiatives include measures to improve the quality of the vehicle register and make it more difficult to drop out of the licensing system through the introduction of Dual Notification and Statutory Off-Road Notification schemes; the introduction of a national scheme to wheelclamp and impound unlicensed vehicles later this year; and the trialling of camera technology to automate the detection process.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what schemes exist to deal with motorists who fail to pay their road tax. [1828]
§ Ms JacksonPolice and traffic wardens detect unlicensed vehicles as part of their normal duties and report them to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for follow-up action, including prosecution.
The Agency and the police also conduct "blitz campaigns" throughout the country. These take the form of extensive localised publicity to encourage motorists to relicense their vehicles, or risk being caught in subsequent police checks.
Police and traffic wardens place conspicuous red notices on the windscreens of parked unlicensed vehicles. These advise motorists that an offence has been detected and that they should take out a licence immediately.
Further new initiatives are being developed to supplement the current enforcement effort and reduce the level of VED evasion.
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§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of motorists who failed to pay their road tax in the last year; and what was the estimated loss of revenue. [1829]
§ Ms JacksonThe number of unlicensed vehicles in use on the public road in Great Britain at the end of December 1996 was estimated at 1.5 million. The estimated loss through evasion in 1996–97 was £175 million which represents 4.1 per cent., of the revenue due.