Question
Following recent changes, police are now able to seize vehicles that are used antisocially without first issuing a warning. This is potentially a way for police in my constituency to deal with illegal street racing meets on the A24 and the A264 from Kilnwood Vale down to Southwater. Can the Minister confirm whether this new power is proving to be effective, and how many vehicles have been seized thus far?
Answer
It is very early days, so I am unable to give the hon. Member the numbers at this point, but they will be collected by constituency. I encourage him to keep in touch with his local police to see what the numbers are. He is absolutely right that the power to seize a vehicle without giving warning is a powerful tool.
Verdict: RED (22/100) DEFERRED
The minister's reply was mostly hedged. On whether the power is proving effective, the minister said it was 'very early days' and gave no assessment. On the request for figures, the minister said the numbers are not yet available, promised to collect them by constituency, and pointed the member to local police, without giving a date. A member would most likely need to ask again to get a substantive answer to either point.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Government's assessment of whether the new power to seize antisocially used vehicles without a prior warning is proving effective. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The minister says it is 'very early days' and calls the power 'a powerful tool', but gives no actual assessment of whether it is proving effective, and the 'very early days' line is a refusal to judge rather than an evaluation. |
| How many vehicles have been seized under the new power to date. | Deferred | Hedged | No figure is given; the minister says the numbers are not available yet but commits to collecting them by constituency and refers the member to local police, which defers the substantive answer without giving a date. |