To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) how much his Department has spent on (a) programmes aimed at reducing levels of uninsured driving and (b) establishing a system of continuous insurance enforcement in each year since 2004; (279582)

Programmes aimed at reducing levels of uninsured driving have included the Greenaway report of 2004; legislation in the Serious Organised Crime Act 2005 to give the police enhanced access to the Motor Insurance Database together with powers to seize vehicles found in use uninsured on the road; and, preparation for the proposed initiative to introduce Continuous Insurance Enforcement from comparison of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) vehicles database and the Motor Insurance Database.

The approximate costs are as follows:

The 2004-05 figure includes the approximate cost of the Greenaway study, at £20,000, and the 2008-09 figure includes £1 million for the DVLA to begin to produce the detailed business case for the Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) project.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the amount uninsured drivers have cost (a) motorists with insurance and (b) the insurance industry in each year since 2004. (279598)

No official estimates are made.

However, the motor insurance industry estimates that the cost to the average motorist of accidents involving uninsured and untraced drivers is of the order of £30 per year on the premium paid.

The cost to the motor insurance industry can be indicated by the levy made each year by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) on its members, that is, on all organisations in Great Britain offering motor insurance cover. The levy covers the cost of compensation paid by the MIB to the victims of accidents involving uninsured or untraced drivers. The MIB levy reached the following levels:

However, the MIB levy takes no account of payments made by insurers in circumstances where, although strictly no insurance cover could be held to be in place, the insurer accepts an obligation to pay. Overall, such payments are estimated to bring the overall cost figure to around £500 million per annum.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects continuous insurance enforcement to be introduced across all insured vehicles. (279599)

Delivery of the continuous insurance enforcement (CIE) scheme is planned to commence in 2010-11 starting with an initial publicity campaign to raise public awareness.