Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Zero Emission Vehicles

Thursday 24 June 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ellie Reeves inquired about recent discussions on incentivizing zero emission vehicles ahead of a 2030 ban on petrol and diesel vehicles.
  • Ellie Reeves highlighted issues with EV charging points, including inefficiencies and high pricing, and called for better national infrastructure.
  • Kerry McCarthy questioned the Government about support for EV manufacturing at Ford Halewood and its impact on jobs at GKN Birmingham.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ellie Reeves Lab Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Climate Energy
Context

The government is planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

Question

What recent discussions has he had with Cabinet colleagues on incentivising the purchase of zero emission vehicles ahead of the 10-year ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles?

Answer from Grant Shapps

Alongside the phase-out dates, we have pledged a £2.8 billion package of measures to support the industry and consumers to make the switch to cleaner vehicles. Discussions with my colleagues are ongoing.

Partly answered

Not addressed: He did not specify any details on recent discussions or specific actions planned for consumer incentives.

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Q2 Ellie Reeves Lab Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Transport Energy
Context

Current issues with EV charging points include non-functioning stations, inefficient charging rates, under-provision in some areas, and excessive pricing.

Question

Given the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles, she asks if more investment is needed to fix issues around EV charging points that are currently not working efficiently or are excessively priced in certain areas. She also mentions a lack of joined-up national infrastructure due to independent providers.

Answer from Grant Shapps

As a driver of an electric vehicle, I have experienced the exact issues that the hon. Lady talks about. There are too many different membership cards, and people have to use too many different forms of payment and sign up to too many sites before they can even pay for the miles that they charge. We have a plan in place which has included taking secondary legislation action that will require all chargers providing rapid charge to allow contactless payment.

Partly answered

Not addressed: He did not provide specific details on future investment or regulatory changes, only mentioning current legislative actions.

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Q3 Kerry McCarthy Lab Bristol East
Employment Energy Business & Trade
Context

The Ford Halewood plant and GKN plant in Birmingham are crucial for EV production, with the Climate Change Committee highlighting that current policies do not meet climate targets.

Question

She asks what conversations have been had about Government support for EV manufacturing at the Ford Halewood plant to secure its future viability. She also mentions concerns over jobs making vehicle components at the GKN plant in Birmingham.

Answer from Grant Shapps

The hon. Lady will know that the Government have pledged half a billion pounds towards creating factories to produce batteries, which is a very important part of the development of electric cars. I often hear people say that we are somehow falling behind. In fact, we had the second highest sales of electric vehicles in Europe in the first quarter of this year; one in seven cars sold now has plug-in.

Not addressed: He did not address specific discussions on government support for Ford Halewood and GKN plants.

How: Discussing Overall Sales Figures Instead

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