House of Commons Transport Committee Cars of the Future Seventeenth Report of Session 2003–04 Volume II Oral and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 13 October 2004 HC 319-II Published on 15 July 2005 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £22.50 The Transport Committee The Transport Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies. Current membership Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody MP (Labour, Crewe) (Chairman) Mr Jeffrey M Donaldson MP (Democratic Unionist, Lagan Valley) Mr Brian H. Donohoe MP (Labour, Cunninghame South) Clive Efford MP (Labour, Eltham) Mrs Louise Ellman MP (Labour/Co-operative, Liverpool Riverside) Ian Lucas MP (Labour, Wrexham) Miss Anne McIntosh MP (Conservative, Vale of York) Mr Paul Marsden MP (Liberal Democrat, Shrewsbury and Atcham) Mr John Randall MP (Conservative, Uxbridge) Mr George Stevenson MP (Labour, Stoke-on-Trent South) Mr Graham Stringer MP (Labour, Manchester Blackley) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/transport.cfm. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Eve Samson (Clerk), David Bates (Second Clerk), Clare Maltby (Committee Specialist), Philippa Carling (Inquiry Manager), Miss Frances Allingham (Committee Assistant), Sarah Verrinder (Secretary) and Henry Ayi-Hyde (Senior Office Clerk). All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Transport Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6263; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] Cover picture reproduced with the permission of General Motors Corporation. Witnesses Wednesday 11 February 2004 Page Mr Paul Everitt, Head of Communications, Economics and Policy, Society of Motoring a Manufacturers and Traders, Mr James Rosenstein, Vice President, Toyota Motor Europe Robert Browett, Head of Government & Public Affairs (London Office) PSA Peugeot Cit Mr Nick J Owen, Senior Manager, Technology, Ricardo Consulting Engineers. Ev 1 Ms Julie Foley, Senior Research Fellow, ippr, and Mr Malcolm Fergusson, Institute for European Environmental Policy. Ev 11 Mr John Mumford, Vice President UK Region, BP Oil UK BP Plc and Mr Malcolm Watson, Technical Director, UK Petroleum Industry Association. Ev 17 Wednesday 25 February 2004 Mr Gerard Gornall, Associate Director, Acumen Team, and Mr Nick Addison, Product Manager, Lex Vehicle Leasing. Ev 24 Mr Robert Ledger, Head of Telelmatics and Mr Douglas Vallgren, Telematics Marketing Manager, Norwich Union; Mr John Parker, Head of General Insurance, Mr Barry Smith, Fortis - Chief Executive and Chairman of ABI Motor Committee and Mr Andrew Miller, Motor Insurance Repair and Research Centre, Thatcham, Director of Research, Association of British Insurers. Ev 29 Mr Matthew Carrington, Chief Executive, and Mr Stephen Ramsay, Managing Director of ReMIT, Retail Motor Industry Federation. Ev 36 Mr Rob Gifford, Executive Director and Mr Julian Hill, Member, Vehicle Design Working Party, Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety; Professor Oliver Carsten, Leeds University, Professor Mike McDonald, Southampton University, and Superintendent Jim Hammond, Deputy Chair, ACPO ITS Working Group. Ev 40 Wednesday 3 March 2004 Rt Hon Jacqui Smith, Minister for Industry and the Regions and Deputy Minister for Women and Equality, Mr Ashley Roberts, Deputy Director of Automotive Unit, Mr Robert Saunders, Head of Downstream Oil, Mrs Bronwen Northmore, Director of Coal and Hydrogen Energy Economy, and Mr Duncan Corrie, Policy Co-ordinator and Regulation Team, Department of Trade and Industry Ev 49 Wednesday 10 March 2004 Mr Phillip Sellwood, Chief Executive and Mr Richard Tarboton, Head of Business Unit Transport Energy, Energy Saving Trust; Mr Graham Smith, Chairman, Mr John Wood, Vice Chairman, Mr Robert Evans, Chairman, Steering Group, Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. Ev 62 Mr David Jamieson MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Malcolm Fendick, Head, Transport Environment and Taxation Division and Eric Sampson, Head, Vehicle Technology and Standards Division, Department for Transport. Mr John Healy MP, Economic Secretary and Mr Dan Edwards, Policy Advisor Transport Taxes, HM Treasury Ev 71 List of written evidence FOR Page 01 Zeta Controls Limited Ev 86 02 Campaign to Protect Rural England Ev 86 03 Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells Ev 87 04 Retail Motor Industry Federation Ev 91 05 Stephen Plowden Ev 92 06 Toyota Environment and Cars Ev 96 07 Professor Chris Wright and Professor Barry Curtis Ev 100 08 Professor P S Hall and I R Harris Ev 103 09 Menard Engineering Limited Ev 105 10 TNO Inro Ev 106 11 PACTS Ev 110 12 LP Gas Association Ev 114 13 The IEE Ev 117 14 Freight Transport Association Ev 120 15 AA Motoring Trust Ev 122 16 Zero-m Ev 126 17 Sustrans Ev 130 18 EADS Astrium Ev 133 19 3M Ev 135 20 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Ev 137 21 Institution of Civil Engineers Ev 140 22 Department for Transport Ev 144 22A Supplementary memorandum by DfT Ev 255 22B Supplementary memorandum by DTI Ev 257 23 Royal Academy of Engineering Ev 150 24 RAC Foundation for Motoring Ev 153 25 The Slower Speeds Initiative Ev 157 26 Colin Treleven Ev 163 27 Pentagon Glass-Tech Ev 168 28 Councillor Niall Walker Ev 168 29 C S Brindley Ev 169 30 Smart Moves Limited Ev 171 31 Carplus Ev 174 32 Energy Saving Trust Ev 178 32A Supplementary memorandum Ev 270 33 Norwich Union Ev 183 33A Supplementary memorandum Ev 261 34 RoadPeace Ev 185 35 Cyclists’ Public Affairs Group Ev 188 36 Ricardo UK Ev 189 37 Environmental Transport Association Ev 195 38 Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Ev 200 39 QinetiQs Ev 202 40 Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership Ev 204 41 Cargill Ev 206 42 Intelligent Transport Society for the United Kingdom Ev 208 43 The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited Ev 212 43A Supplementary memorandum Ev 262 44 UK Petroleum Industry Ev 216 44A Supplementary memorandum by BP Oil Uk Ev 263 45 Professor Oliver Carsten, University of Leeds Ev 219 46 ippr Ev 223 47 Lex Vehicle Licensing Ev 228 48 IEEP Ev 232 49 PSA Peugeot Citroën Ev 236 50 Association of British Insurers Ev 238 50A Supplementary memorandum Ev 264 51 Calor Gas Ev 243 52 Professor Mike McDonald Ev 246 53 Transport for London Ev 248 54 ACPO Ev 249 54A Supplementary memorandum Ev 269 55 HM Treasury Ev 252 947998PAG1 Page Type [SO] 11-07-05 21:58:15 Pag Table: COENEW PPSysB Unit: PAG1 Transport Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the Transport Committee on Wednesday 11 February 2004 Members present: Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody, in the Chair Mr Brian H Donohoe Ian Lucas Clive EVord Miss Anne McIntosh Mrs Louise Ellman Mr George Stevenson Witnesses: Mr Paul Everitt, Head of Communications, Economics and Policy, The Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders; Mr James Rosenstein, Vice President, Toyota Motor Europe; Mr Robert Browett, Head of Government & Public AVairs, (London OYce), PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mr Nick J Owen, Senior Manager, Technology, Ricardo Consulting Engineers, examined. Chairman: Good afternoon, gentlemen, you are Q3 Chairman: Do you think people understand that most warmly welcome. Members havingan interest Vehicle Excise Duty is calculated in a particular to declare are: way? Mr Everitt: I would say that there is a growing Mr Stevenson: Member of the Transport & General recognition that it is related to CO2. Since its Workers’ Union. introduction I think there is more awareness of it but it is a gradual and slow process. Clive EVord: I am a Member of the Transport & General Workers’ Union. Q4Chairman: How do you want to see it changed? Mr Everitt: I think we are quite happy with the way Ian Lucas: Member of Amicus. that the structure of VED now is. Chairman: Member of Aslef. Q5 Chairman: Would you like drivers of large, high CO2 cars to pay proportionately higher duty? Miss McIntosh: I have interests in the RAC and Mr Everitt: I do not think we think that there is a perhaps with BP and Shell. great deal of additional benefit from changing the basic structure that it is now, given that it provides a Mrs Ellman: Member of the Transport & General useful signal, it is structured in a way that Workers’ Union. encourages people to think about the CO2 emissions that they have and the vehicle choice that they make. Q1 Chairman: Gentlemen, we are takinga record. I am not sure that it is going to do a great deal more. Would you be kind enough to identify yourselves, So from our point of view what we are interested in, startingon my left, your right. really, is greater stability because the system has Mr Owen: Nick Owen, I am Senior Manager, undergone a significant review and has been changed Technology, from Ricardo Consulting Engineers at virtually every year since the change to the CO2 base. Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. So from our point of view we are much more Mr Browett: Robert Browett, PSA Peugeot Citroen, interested in seeinga stable set of taxes that people V responsible for public a airs. can, hopefully, get a better understanding of. Mr Rosenstein: James Rosenstein, Vice President for External AVairs at Toyota Motor Europe. V Mr Everitt: Paul Everitt, Head of Communications, Q6 Clive E ord: Can I just talk about alternative Economics and Policy at The Society of Motor fuels? Is the fuel cell vehicle powered by a renewable Manufacturers and Traders.