§ Mr. SutcliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to eliminate fraud through the abuse of road tax discs. [85308]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonVehicle excise duty (VED) fraud can take a number of forms. The display of fraudulent tax discs is a serious matter which is dealt with solely by the police. There is no evidence to suggest that the practice is widespread. Where vehicles are used or kept unlicensed on the public road, the detection role is carried out by the police, who pass offence reports to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for enforcement action.
My Department has introduced a number of new initiatives aimed at reducing the level of vehicle excise duty evasion. These include measures to improve the quality of the vehicle register and to make it more difficult for motorists to drop out of the licensing system. The national scheme to wheelclamp and impound unlicensed vehicles continues to be successful in encouraging motorists to relicense their vehicles. A pilot scheme to use camera technology for automating the detection process is to begin shortly.