Written questions by Coombes.

What proportion of offenders convicted of (a) dangerous driving, (b) driving under the influence and (c) causing serious (i) injury and (ii) death by (A) careless and (B) dangerous driving have also previously failed to who fail to produce (a) a driving licence, (2) an MOT certificate and (3) insurance certificate.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences, including dangerous driving, driving under the influence, and causing serious injury or death by careless and dangerous driving in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK. It is not possible to identify those who were convicted of an offence and had been previously convicted for failing to produce either a driving licence, an MOT certificate or insurance certificates. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.

Pursuant to the Answer given to Question 74060 on Dangerous Driving: Convictions, how many and what percentage of offenders convicted of dangerous driving in each of the last five years had previously been convicted of dangerous driving offences (a) on one occasion and (b) on more than one occasion.

The information requested is provided in the tables attached.Safety on our roads is an absolute priority for this Government. That is why the Department for Transport is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade. They will set out the next steps on this in due course.

How many and what proportion of drivers convicted of death by dangerous driving were (a) repeat death by dangerous driving offenders, (b) repeat death by careless driving offenders and (c) repeat dangerous driving offenders in each of the last five years.

The information requested is provided in the tables attached.Safety on our roads is an absolute priority for this Government. That is why the Department for Transport is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade. They will set out the next steps on this in due course.

What proportion of drivers who have repeatedly committed driving offences have received a lifetime driving ban.

Data on convictions and lifetime bans for driving offences is published as part of Ministry of Justice data obtained in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics. The data can be filtered on the offence and the period of driving disqualification using the sentencing outcomes tab.The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on numbers of offenders who have repeatedly committed driving offences and received a lifetime ban.

What proportion of people convicted of death by dangerous driving did not pass the compulsory extended re-test in the last 12 months; and of these drivers, how many received a lifetime driving ban.

Data on convictions and disqualifications (including lifetime bans) for death by dangerous driving offences is published in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics. The data can be filtered on the offence and the period of driving disqualification using the sentencing outcomes tab.The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on individuals required to take an extended re-test following a conviction of death by dangerous driving.

What proportion of people convicted of death by dangerous driving were given a lifetime driving ban in the last 12 months.

Data on convictions and disqualifications (including lifetime bans) for death by dangerous driving offences is published in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics. The data can be filtered on the offence and the period of driving disqualification using the sentencing outcomes tab.The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on individuals required to take an extended re-test following a conviction of death by dangerous driving.

Whether she has made an assessment of the correlation between drivers (a) who fail to produce (i) a driving licence, (ii) an MOT certificate and (iii) insurance certificate and (b) convicted of (A) dangerous driving, (B) driving under the influence and (C) causing serious (1) injury and (2) death by (a) careless and (b) dangerous driving.

My department has not made a specific assessment of this type. Nonetheless the Government is committed to improving road safety, with a new Road Safety Strategy under development which will include a broad range of policies. More details will be set out in due course.

What recent discussions she has had with the DVLA on reducing the number of vehicles with no registered keeper on the roads.

There are long-standing and robust measures, including legislative requirements, in place to ensure that keepers notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when they buy and sell a vehicle. It is already an offence to use a vehicle that does not have a registered keeper.The DVLA is working to reduce the number of vehicles on UK roads that have no registered keeper or are unlicensed. The DVLA works with more than 80 local authorities and police forces to identify and act on vehicles which do not have a registered keeper. It also deploys Automatic Number Plate Recognition vehicles to detect unlicensed or unregistered vehicles.Based on the latest available data, more than 93 per cent of vehicle keepers are contactable and traceable from the information held on the DVLA’s vehicle record. Of the remainder, around 6% are in the motor trade, where a vehicle may legitimately have no registered keeper.

What proportion of drivers convicted of (a) dangerous driving and (b) careless driving offences in the last five years were repeat offenders.

The information requested is provided in the tables attached. Safety on our roads is an absolute priority for this Government. That is why the Department for Transport is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade. They will set out the next steps on this in due course.

What estimate she has made of the number and proportion of vehicles that have no registered keeper.

There are long-standing and robust measures, including legislative requirements, in place to ensure that keepers notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when they buy and sell a vehicle. It is already an offence to use a vehicle that does not have a registered keeper.The DVLA is working to reduce the number of vehicles on UK roads that have no registered keeper or are unlicensed. The DVLA works with more than 80 local authorities and police forces to identify and act on vehicles which do not have a registered keeper. It also deploys Automatic Number Plate Recognition vehicles to detect unlicensed or unregistered vehicles.Based on the latest available data, more than 93 per cent of vehicle keepers are contactable and traceable from the information held on the DVLA’s vehicle record. Of the remainder, around 6% are in the motor trade, where a vehicle may legitimately have no registered keeper.

How many drivers with three or more driving-related convictions retained their driving licence in each of the last five years.

A scan of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s driving licence database is required to provide the information requested. DVLA officials will write to the Honourable Member with this information when it is available.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of the Future Homes Standard on air pollution emissions from domestic wood burning.

The Future Homes Standard (FHS) will require new-build homes to use heat pumps or other low-carbon technologies as their primary heating source, ensuring that almost all the home’s heating needs will be met with low-emission systems. This shift away from fossil fuels will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support improved air quality. The consultation on the FHS did not focus on secondary heating systems or support solid fuel systems, such as wood-burning stoves, as primary heating. The FHS will update Part L of the Building Regulations. While air quality falls outside the scope of Part L and the FHS, my officials and I work closely with our colleagues at DEFRA to align with broader efforts to tackle air pollution.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that the Automatic Number Plate Recognition network is able to identify (a) false and (b) cloned number plates.

ANPR is a valuable tool to help the police tackle crime and keep the road safe. We keep the effectiveness of police and law enforcement use of ANPR under regular review, to ensure it remains a robust tool for identifying vehicles of interest to the police and drivers who break the law.Non-compliant and mis-represented plates are a significant concern to policing and law enforcement agencies. The DVLA and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) are working closely with Trading Standards, local authorities and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.The law requires anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK to be registered with the DVLA and for suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who are entitled to the registration number. Number plate suppliers must also keep records of the number plates they have supplied. Those found to have committed number plate offences can be prosecuted by the police.I met the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) lead on ANPR in April to discuss the challenges associated with cloned licence plates and the potential role for ANPR in helping to tackle them.

What recent discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority' on it's ability to act evidence of (a) malpractice and (b) criminality.

The government meets regularly with the FCA to discuss a range of topics. The government is content that the legislative framework, set by parliament, which gives the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) powers to supervise the financial services sector and enforce rules, is appropriate, and that the FCA has the correct tools available to enable it to investigate and act on evidence of malpractice and criminality. The FCA is required by legislation to have regard to the principle that regulators should exercise their functions as transparently as possible. The FCA is also required not to disclose confidential information it receives in the course of carrying out its functions, with limited exceptions including where required to carry out its functions or otherwise required by law. The government expects the FCA to act in accordance with high standards of transparency and operational efficiency, and will continue to hold the FCA to account for how it exercises its functions.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of the Financial Conduct Authority in balancing its confidentiality obligations with the need to provide transparency and effective communication to individuals who report potential financial misconduct.

The government meets regularly with the FCA to discuss a range of topics. The government is content that the legislative framework, set by parliament, which gives the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) powers to supervise the financial services sector and enforce rules, is appropriate, and that the FCA has the correct tools available to enable it to investigate and act on evidence of malpractice and criminality. The FCA is required by legislation to have regard to the principle that regulators should exercise their functions as transparently as possible. The FCA is also required not to disclose confidential information it receives in the course of carrying out its functions, with limited exceptions including where required to carry out its functions or otherwise required by law. The government expects the FCA to act in accordance with high standards of transparency and operational efficiency, and will continue to hold the FCA to account for how it exercises its functions.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Financial Conduct Authority's powers to seek redress for the victims of financial fraud.

The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime. In October 2024, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) introduced a mandatory reimbursement regime for authorised push payment (APP) scams which take place over the Faster Payments system, as required by the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) 2023. The PSR’s regime requires payment service providers to reimburse victims for losses up to £85,000 for scams which took place after 7 October 2024. In cases where consumers have been impacted by financial fraud and are not covered by these rules, they should contact their bank in the first instance. Victims may have access to recourse through the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which can consider individual complaints between consumers and financial firms. This includes on fraud providing the activity is within the FOS’s jurisdiction, which is set by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FOS can consider whether or not the firm has acted fairly, however, any criminal investigation would be a matter for the police. HM Treasury is working with colleagues in the Home Office as they develop a new, expanded Fraud Strategy. This will be published in due course as part of the Government’s Plan for Change and in line with our manifesto commitments.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of non-compliant number plates on levels revenue to traffic enforcement forces.

The Home Office has not made an assessment of the potential impact of non-compliant number plates on the levels of revenue to traffic enforcement forces.The Government is working closely with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), Trading Standards, local authorities and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.

If she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of (a) taxi and (b) private hire vehicles that use number plates that do not conform with regulations.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, various police forces and Trading Standards in relation to the supply and use of illegal number plates as well as number plates with raised characters, commonly known as ‘4D plates’. Some 4D plates can also be described as ‘ghost’ plates where the characters are constructed from materials that are unable to be read by infrared Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems. Work is currently ongoing to quantify the number of illegal plates that may be in circulation, which would include on taxis and private hire vehicles.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the support available for UK-based downstream steel companies that are seeking to decarbonise their industrial processes.

We are developing a suite of policies to enable industry, including UK-based downstream steel companies, to deliver savings through fuel switching from fossil fuels to low carbon alternatives. As we do so, we are closely engaging with industry, both with sector trade associations as well as with manufacturers directly, to identify and understand the challenges, barriers and costs of their decarbonisation pathways. For example, we published a summary of responses to our Call for evidence on Enabling Industrial Electrification in September 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/enabling-industrial-electrification-a-call-for-evidence). To give longer-term confidence for industry to decarbonise, a renewed Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy will set the strategic direction for our approach to working with industry towards a competitive and low carbon industrial base in the UK, ensuring growth opportunities are captured in tandem with emissions reductions. More widely, we are determined to work towards a bright future for steel through our steel strategy. The Government stands by our manifesto commitment to invest up to £2.5bn in steel through the National Wealth Fund and other routes.

How much funding her Department has provided for improving Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems in the last three years.

A total of £85.45 million has been provided for maintaining and improving national Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems in the last three years.ANPR technology is used for law enforcement purposes, to help detect, deter and disrupt criminality at a local, force, regional and national level.