Insurance law 'will save motorists money'

Transport minister Norman Baker has told the Commons that a new offence of keeping a vehicle with no insurance will come into force in the spring.

At transport questions today Gareth Johnson (Con, Dartford) said uninsured drivers are "selfish in the extreme".

He asked if police will retain the power to seize vehicles that are uninsured.

Baker said they would retain that power and last year 180,000 vehicles were seized.

"Around 1.4 million vehicles are uninsured, which costs responsible motorists around £30 extra in their premiums each year," he said.

"We think that the measure will save about £6 for each motorist."

Shadow transport minister Chris Leslie said young drivers in particular face "ridiculous" insurance costs.

He argued that fines are too low, which "incentivised" some to avoid paying for insurance.

Baker said his department is "in discussions" with the ministry of justice.

Dame Anne Begg (Lab, Aberdeen South) asked for guarantees that Heathrow will not face again the sort of disruption caused by snow last month.

Transport minister Theresa Villiers told MPs they must be "realistic" and in severe weather "there is bound to be some disruption".

"Heathrow airport faces special challenges that make it tougher to respond to such conditions," she said.

A review carried out by the airport and a departmental investigation will yield lessons for the future.

Have your say...

Please enter your comments below.

Name

Your e-mail address

Listen to audio version

Please type in the letters or numbers shown above (case sensitive)