Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Blake of Leeds) (Lab)

My Lords, the provisions of these draft regulations relating to roadworthiness testing are to be made under the powers conferred by Sections 41(1), 41(2), 41(5), 45(1), 45(2), 45(7), 46(7), 47(5), 49(1), 49(2) and 51(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The measures concerning drivers’ hours and tachographs are to be made under the powers provided by Section 14(3) of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023. These regulations will amend roadworthiness testing, drivers’ hours and tachograph rules for zero-emission vans weighing over 3.5 tonnes, up to and including 4.25 tonnes, which I will hereafter refer to as 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans. The regulations will align the regulation of these vehicles with the regulation of internal combustion engine vans weighing over 3 tonnes, up to and including 3.5 tonnes, by making three key changes. First, they will move 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans from the heavy vehicle testing regime into the class 7 MoT testing system. Secondly, they will amend the timing of the first roadworthiness test by changing it from a first test one year after initial registration, with annual testing thereafter, to a first test three years after initial registration, with subsequent annual testing. Thirdly, they will move 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans from the assimilated drivers’ hours rules into the Great Britain drivers’ hours rules. Unlike the assimilated drivers’ hours rules, the GB drivers’ hours rules do not require the use of tachographs to record driving time, meaning that tachographs will not be required to be installed in 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans. Domestic transport is the highest greenhouse gas-emitting sector of the economy, accounting for 30% of emissions in 2024. Road freight acts as a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and the number of vans on the road has consistently increased over recent years. Van traffic in 2024 was 9.5% higher than in 2019. Removing additional regulatory burdens will support van operators in switching from internal combustion engine vans to zero-emission alternatives. This will help reduce transport emissions and the move towards net-zero transport. I note that 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans are technically classified as heavy goods vehicles because they have a maximum authorised mass of over 3.5 tonnes. However, they are used for broadly the same purposes as internal combustion engine vans under 3.5 tonnes and in many cases are visually indistinguishable from them. By aligning the regulatory requirements of 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans, with up to 3.5 tonne internal combustion engine equivalents, these regulations are expected to drive the uptake of zero-emissions options and support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from the growing van fleet. These regulations are part of a wider suite of government action to drive the switch to zero-emission vehicles. This includes the zero-emission vehicle mandate, which sets sales targets for manufacturers applying to both cars and vans, with a headline target for vans in 2026 of 24%, on a pathway to 100% by 2035. Greater flexibilities were added to the mandate in October 2025 to support manufacturers in reaching these targets. The Government are supporting the uptake of zero-emission vans via the plug-in van grant, which offers a maximum discount of £5,000 for vans weighing up to 4.25 tonnes, and through grant funding for charge points. In addition, in June 2025, regulations were introduced allowing the holders of a category B driving licence to drive zero-emission vans up to 4.25 tonnes without any additional training. The same regulations also provided the equivalent towing allowances for 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans as is available to their internal combustion engine counterparts. These amending regulations will therefore provide additional regulatory consistency for operators switching to using a 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission van. At present, these vans are required to undergo a heavy vehicle test every year from first registration. These tests are carried out by staff from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency at authorised testing facilities. These regulations will mean that 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans are tested via the class 7 MoT test, which is currently used to test 3 to 3.5 tonne vans, with a first test three years from registration. The private sector class 7 MoT testing network is larger than the network of authorised testing facilities, providing greater choice for van operators. Combined with a later first test and a lower test cost, this will reduce the administrative burden on operators choosing to make the switch to a zero-emission van. Moving 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans from the assimilated drivers’ hours rules into the GB rules will also provide regulatory consistency for van operators, as internal combustion engine vans weighing under 3.5 tonnes are already in scope of the GB rules. The GB rules do not require the use of tachographs to monitor driving time, removing an additional cost currently experienced by zero-emission van operators. The extra administrative burden for fleets, where drivers regularly switch between different types of vans and therefore different sets of drivers’ hours rules, is also removed by these regulations. Both the roadworthiness testing regime and the drivers’ hours rules are in place to support road safety, and this has been an area of focus during the development of these regulations. Class 7 MoT testing is already used for vans with similar dimensions to 3.5 to 4.25 tonne zero-emission vans. While they are heavier, these vans may come with features such as regenerative braking that can support safer driving. The daily driving limit under the GB drivers’ hours rules is only one hour longer than the limit under the assimilated rules, and the daily duty limit of 11 hours will restrict drivers from working long hours on other non-driving tasks. Following the implementation of these regulations, road safety data will be closely monitored. Both the number of collisions and their severity will be analysed to understand the impact on road safety, if any, of these regulations.