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Traffic Accidents

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of all traffic accidents in England and Wales involved foreign registered lorries in each of the last three years. [91117]

Dr. Ladyman: In England and Wales in 2005 the proportion of personal injury road accidents reported to the police involving foreign registered lorries is 0.58 per cent. Data on foreign registered vehicles were not collected prior to 2005.

Vehicle Insurance

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of uninsured vehicles in the United Kingdom since May (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006; and if he will make a statement. [91085]

Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 13 September 2006]: Our latest estimate (2005) is based on a comparison of the Vehicle register, maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), and the Motor Insurance Database. It is that there are about 2 million vehicles (about 6 per cent. of the UK vehicle fleet) being driven by uninsured drivers. There are no similar comparisons for earlier years.

In order to strengthen enforcement activity to tackle motor insurance evaders we introduced two new measures last year. First, to give the police improved access to the Motor Insurance Database to enhance their capability to detect uninsured driving by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipment.

Second, powers to allow the police to seize vehicles being driven uninsured. Both these measures are proving effective with the police seizing nearly 600 uninsured vehicles a week.

In addition we are seeking powers in the Road Safety Bill to introduce a scheme of Continuous Insurance Enforcement which would enable us to enforce the requirement for motor insurance from the record. This means that rather than having to rely on spotting an uninsured vehicle on-road we can identify, from the database, vehicles where insurance policies have lapsed and not been renewed. This will enable us to target all such evaders, rather than just the necessarily smaller numbers that it is possible to identify on-road.

Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet members of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board; and what matters he plans to discuss. [91160]

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State has no plans to meet members of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board.

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