HC Deb 19 December 2003 vol 416 cc56-7W
Mr. Chope

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is of how many people are driving(a) without a licence and (b) without insurance; and how many unlicensed vehicles he estimates are on the road. [145528]

Mr. Jamieson

The Department's Report, "Research into Unlicensed Driving", published on 15 December 2003, estimated that the number of people driving without a valid driving licence would lie in a range between 620,000 and just over 1 million. The Government are committed to tackling this. We are already taking action with the widespread Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras allowing police to target unlicensed vehicles on the road. All police services have 24-hour access to DVLA driving licence records via the Police National Computer.

The number of people driving without insurance is estimated at approximately 1.25 million1. The Department has facilitated links between the Motor Insurance Database and the Police National Computer. The database contains details of every motorist's insurance and every vehicle insured. The police are currently making up to 25,000 checks each day on this database to detect and correct uninsured driving. In addition, the Government have appointed Professor David Greenaway of the University of Nottingham to carry out an independent review of motor insurance arrangements in the U.K, to advise on how to improve procedures and to reduce uninsured driving.

The number of unlicensed (i.e. untaxed) vehicles is estimated at 1.76 million2. Reforms of the vehicle registration system include: a system of continuous registration starting in January 2004, requiring vehicle users to re-licence their vehicles on time every year, with automatic penalty notices served on those who fail to comply; new registration documents, and tighter but simpler procedures to keep DVLA's vehicle register informed when vehicles change hands; new powers given to local authorities to tackle abandoned cars and to bring car dumpers to book; bar codes on tax discs and on re-licensing reminders to improve the accuracy of the vehicle register; and an increase in DVLA's wheel clamping operations together with the introduction of a DVLA telephone hotline to target evaders.

In combination, the above measures are designed to improve the accuracy of the vehicle register from around 92 per cent. now to 97.5 per cent. by 2005 and to reduce evasion from around 4.5 per cent. to no more than 2.5 per cent. by 2007.

1Source:

Insurance industry estimate.

2Source:

"Vehicle Excise Duty Evasion 2002", published by the Office of National Statistics.