Motor Vehicle Tests
(Diesel Particulate Filters)
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to set standards as to the
emissions particulate sensing technology to be used in
roadworthiness tests for diesel vehicles; and for connected
purposes.
As you know, Mr Speaker, I have been a Member for a very long
time, but it is 20 years since I last moved a ten-minute rule
motion, so I hope everyone will be tolerant of me today.
I declare my interest as chair of the Westminster Commission for
Road Air Quality, as an active member of the all-party
parliamentary group on air pollution and as chair of the World
Health Organisation’s global network for road safety
legislators.
Throughout my career in this House, as many colleagues may know,
I have been a passionate campaigner for the environment, and I
know that colleagues on both sides of the House share the view
that we and all our constituents have an inalienable right to
breathe clean air. It is now clear that toxic air is one of the
greatest public health challenges of our time, affecting pregnant
women, the elderly and our children and grandchildren. No one is
exempt from breathing poisonous, polluted air in our country.
As a former Chair of the Select Committee on Education, and in
much of my other work, I have always believed in pursuing good,
evidence-based policies. On air pollution, the experts and the
science are crystal clear. The challenge cannot be overestimated
and it urgently requires not just a joined-up approach, or just a
cross-party and cross-sector partnership, but a recognition of
the huge scale of the challenge we face.
The Government are fully aware, because they have the records,
that up to 36,000 people a year are dying from breathing polluted
air. Indeed, it was linked to over 150 deaths in my Huddersfield
constituency in 2020. Not only is it a tragic loss of life to
this invisible killer but there is a huge economic cost,
estimated at £20 billion annually, from the accumulation of
treating health conditions and days missed at work.
This is a challenge that we are morally obliged to solve, but
reducing air pollution is also vital to our economy, to our
health and to the general wellbeing of our society. I am
particularly proud to have worked over the past few years with
Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, one of our greatest experts on
this issue.
It is estimated that just short of 30% of our noxious emissions
come from the transport sector, and over 90% of these emissions
come from road transport vehicles—the cars, vans and lorries we
see every day. Many of the challenges we face on air pollution
will take major research, innovation and intervention, which will
take considerable time and resources, but we also have an
opportunity to seek more rapid, achievable wins. This Bill is at
the top of the list.
Tackling diesel emissions can be achieved relatively speedily
and, if this House so chooses, the Bill would have a profound
impact on air quality in our towns, cities and communities in the
short term. The World Health Organisation has made it crystal
clear that diesel emissions have a dangerous impact on human
health, especially respiratory health.
My hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham East () is familiar with the scale of
the challenge, given the tragic case of Ella Kissi-Debrah. Ella’s
death and the evidence linked to her case shows just how
devastating toxic air can be in urban spaces. Her mother,
Rosamund, continues to campaign passionately for change to the
law, and we must not let her efforts be in vain.
This brings me to the core purpose of my Bill. All diesel
vehicles need to be fitted with fully functioning and fully
operational diesel particulate filters—DPFs. A DPF captures and
stores dangerous emissions released by the vehicle. If DPFs are
not working and are not checked properly, that is how we get the
pollution. Independent research shows that a single faulty filter
produces the same amount of pollution as a three-lane,
360-mile-long traffic jam with vehicles that have proper,
functioning DPFs fitted. That is the distance between my
constituency of Huddersfield and Land’s End.
To be fair, as a country, we have made some moves in the right
direction. In 2014 and 2018, MOT tests became marginally more
rigorous to ensure the proper working of these filters. But now,
in 2022, we are being left behind and our MOT tests in this area
are once again insufficient and out-of-date. Governments in
countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany are making
faster progress in reducing the levels of ultrafine particulate
matter through simple improvements in MOT testing. This is of
particular concern to me because one of the things that this does
is to accelerate the ageing process. Looking around the Chamber,
that concerns some of us very much indeed. In the Netherlands, 10
improved models of devices that test the efficiency of these
filters are already set to be approved by this July. The Dutch,
using more sensitive technology, are picking up on the real
efficiency of these filters. The revised test would require
improved sensing technology set at 250,000 particles per cubic
centimetre. The current testing system in the UK picks up only 1%
of faulty filters. With the higher standard used in the
Netherlands, it is estimated that 15% more filters would be
identified as faulty.
Checks on diesel particulate filters do make up part of the
current requirements for diesel vehicles, but at present the test
seeks only to determine if these filters are obviously defective
or actually missing. I have been in touch with the Secretary of
State for Transport and his ministerial team about this issue on
several occasions and have always been told, “We already have
safeguards in operation.” However, the fact is that thousands of
vehicles are falling through the cracks of this out-of-date
testing system, to the serious detriment of air quality and
public health nationwide. So, in essence, my Bill would bring the
UK up to the highest possible standards in MOTs. It would
introduce new sensing technology that would identify less
obviously defective but still dangerous filters. It would ensure
that vehicles are roadworthy and fit for Britain’s roads.
Finally, these more stringent tests would protect the health and
wellbeing of millions of drivers, passengers and pedestrians
throughout our country.
This Bill is entirely realistic in its ambitions. Its proposal is
tried, tested and has been rolled out repeatedly in other
countries. It is a small change to make but it would potentially
have huge, life-saving impacts. Other countries’ experience has
shown the best practice that we can achieve. It is now clear that
all we must do is to follow these examples and build consensus
across this House and across industry to get these emissions
down. In my experience, so many of our constituents want to play
a role in addressing the climate change crisis. They may not be
Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough or Bill Gates, but they want
to help to make a difference in their communities and in our
constituencies.
I believe that responsible citizens would readily change their
behaviour and support these efforts if they were made aware that
their vehicle had a broken filter and was poisoning the air we
all breathe. Last week, I presented a Bill to the House that
would put a duty on every local authority to audit the quality of
its air and annually report this to Parliament. With the support
of this House, MOT providers, road users and pedestrians would be
able to proceed in the confidence that these changes can be
brought into effect without unsustainable costs for garages or
for drivers.
What is clear is that we cannot afford to wait. We are making
advances in technologies such as hydrotreated vegetable oil
fuel—with the help of Lord Tebbit’s son, William Tebbit—and
hydrogen and battery technologies are moving forward, but not
fast enough. The UK should not be a follower in making MOT tests
more rigorous; it should be a leader. We continue to hold the
presidency of COP26 and there is still a window to show decisive,
bold and thoughtful leadership. Let us take this step together
and move closer towards achieving a goal that we should all share
across this House: that our children, grandchildren, friends,
family and loved ones are united in the right to breathe clean
air.
Question put and agreed to.
Ordered,
That , , , , , , and Sir , present the Bill.
accordingly presented the
Bill.
Bill read the first time; to be read a Second time on Friday 18
March, and to be printed (Bill 252).
