Vehicle Excise Duty (Hansard, 1 April 2004)

§ Mr. Greg Knight

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motor vehicles have been crushed in the last six months for which figures are available for

Member
Tom McCready	Non-scoring Chairman, Head of Youth Services and Community Relations Branch, DE
Phyllis Richardson	Community Relations Branch, DE
Walker Ewart	Education and Training Inspectorate, DE
Norman Richardson	Lecturer, Stranmillis College
Gerard Doran	Youth Officer, Southern Education and Library Board
June Neill	Assistant Advisory Officer, Western Education and Library Board
Brendan Hartop	UNESCO Centre, University of Ulster

The members of the Advisory Panel were appointed from a broad spectrum of educational interests because of their expertise in community relations policy and practice.

The Advisory Panel also has a role in assisting the Department in its consideration of formal appeals

1580W

non-payment of vehicle excise duty; in how many of these cases the owner initially objected thereto; and if he will make a statement. [165170]

§ Dr. Howells

Between 1 October 2003 and 30 March 2004, DVLA and local authorities with devolved clamping powers clamped 30,500 unlicensed vehicles. Of these 14,600 were disposed of by crushing as they were in too poor a condition to put back on the road.

No figures are available for the number of vehicle keepers who initially objected. However crushing is treated as the final option when disposing of vehicles. Every effort is made to contact the current keeper when unlicensed vehicles are clamped and vehicles are kept in pounds for a minimum of seven days for this purpose. It is only after it becomes clear that the keeper cannot be identified or they provide a disclaimer that vehicles are disposed of by crushing.