Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Chairperson (Ms Ferguson): I welcome, from the Department for Infrastructure, Caroline Hobson, director of vehicle policy and legislation, Roy Kennedy, head of vehicle policy branch, and Connor Murray, deputy principal from vehicle policy branch. You are very welcome. When you are ready, please present to the Committee.

Ms Caroline Hobson (Department for Infrastructure): Thank you, Chair. I will start with a general overview of the regulation and give a summary of the assessment of that in GB. Then, we will move into the questions and responses have been provided by the Department for Transport (DFT), if that sounds OK.

The Chairperson (Ms Ferguson): Yes. Thank you.

Ms Hobson: The proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union amending regulations (EC) 561/2006, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2019/2144 and (EU) 2024/1257 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the simplification of technical requirements and testing procedures for motor vehicles and repealing Council directive 70/157/EEC and regulation number (EU) 540/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

The proposal contributes to the simplification of the regulatory framework for the automotive industry, as announced in the industrial action plan for the European automotive sector. It forms part of an automotive package, which aims to boost the competitiveness of the EU automotive industry and the transition to zero-emission mobility.

It aims to simplify legislation relating to automated vehicles, reducing unnecessary burdens and costs for businesses and authorities without undermining environmental protection or the safety performance of vehicles. By simplifying provisions for certain procedures, the proposal aims to remove regulatory obstacles to the uptake of electric commercial vehicles, to reduce administrative costs related to (EU) 2024/1257, or Euro 7, emission tests and to improve coherence and avoid fragmentation of the market.

The proposed amendments to regulation (EC) 561/2006 relate to the removal of tachograph requirements for electric, light commercial vehicles. The GB assessment of impact states that that is not a type-approval issue and that the regulation is not included in the Windsor framework.

The proposed amendments to regulation (EU) 2018/858 relate to vehicle categories. They will introduce a new sub-category for small electric vehicles and provide for EU legislation to amend regulatory measures to that sub-category, with a view to incentivising the production and uptake of small electric vehicles (EVs). The GB assessment states:

The amendments also relate to EV charging. They introduce powers to allow the Commission to set requirements on communication interfaces between EVs and charging infrastructure. The GB assessment states that the addition of that power does not create:

The proposed amendments to regulation (EU) 2019/2144 remove the requirement for speed limitation devices on electric, light goods vehicles weighing over 3·5 tons and less than 4·25 tons, to bring them into line with the requirements for conventional vans with gross vehicle weight of up to 3·5 tons. The proposed amendments remove the necessary costs that that requirement imposes on vehicle manufacturers and on enterprises purchasing such vehicles, slowing the increase in the number of zero-emission, light commercial vehicles. The GB assessment states:

Regulation (EU) 2024/1257 is also known as Euro 7. It covers the type approval of vehicles, engines and related systems and components in respect of emissions and battery durability. It is proposed to amend the regulation to remove the dedicated low-temperature laboratory emissions test requirement. Removal will not compromise environmental standards, which are ensured by the real driving emissions (RDE) tests. The EU recognises that the requirement to comply with general emissions limits would increase the regulatory burden on vehicle manufacturers without benefiting environmental performance. GB's assessment indicates that, given that the vehicle specifications remain unchanged because the proposal is aimed at simplifying test procedures rather than changing technical requirements in areas such as emission levels, the proposal does not create divergence between GB and NI in technical requirements for vehicles.

Regulation (EU) 540/2014 relates to sound levels and acoustic vehicle alerting systems (AVAS). The proposal aims to reduce the major source of noise caused by motor vehicles. It sets out noise limit values for the vehicle categories and lays out the rules on labelling and consumer information and the development of AVAS for electric vehicles. It repeals regulation (EU) 540/2014 and amends regulation (EU) 2018/858, replacing them with the equivalent UN regs, 51, 59 and 138, which cover the same technical requirements.

The GB assessment states:

I will turn to the specific questions that the Committee raised. The first question was:

We approached the Department for Transport, because that it is a reserved matter. It stated:

By way of additional context, currently, in GB, goods vehicles weighing up to 7·5 tons are limited to a maximum speed of 60 mph on a dual carriageway. Vehicles weighing above 3·5 tons are further limited to a maximum speed of 56 mph via a built-in speed limiter, with the intention of maintaining road safety. The removal of the requirement to fit a speed limiter to the 4·25 ton vehicle would make a marginal difference to the maximum speeds at which vehicles can travel. They would be able to travel at 56 mph as opposed to 60 mph, or vice versa.

DfT consulted recently on regulatory flexibility for zero-emission vans, and an outcome report was published in November 2025. Speed limiters were included in the consultation. At the time, DfT recognised that the initial fitting of speed limiters might incur an additional cost and present barriers to people's adoption of electric vans. The industry feedback to the consultation showed that drivers find the reduction in maximum speed frustrating, as they are unable to pass HGV traffic because they are limited to 56 mph. However, DfT also found from industry that the use of speed limiters supports road safety by reducing the chance of collision and, in the event of a collision, by reducing its impacts. The report concluded that DfT was prepared to consider the requirement for a speed limiter but did not propose that as an outcome of the consultation.

If somebody travelled in a small electric van in Northern Ireland, under this legislation, there would be no need for a speed limiter, but, if they travelled to GB, they would have to install or activate a speed limiter.

Dr Aiken: Is that for all traffic? If you just went across on the ferry to deliver something, would you not be allowed to drive on the road unless you had a speed limiter?

Ms Hobson: It is just for small electric vans.

Dr Aiken: We are supposed to be moving towards decarbonisation and electric vehicles.

Ms Hobson: Yes.

Dr Aiken: Let us say that a distributor goes across on the ferry to deliver something to Carlisle or somewhere like that. If he does not have a speed limiter, it will be illegal for him to drive.

Mr Roy Kennedy (Department for Infrastructure): If he is in a vehicle that is registered here under our type approval, he will not need one. If his vehicle is registered in GB and operating under GB regs, he will. Going from here to there, vehicles should not need one, but, if they come from there to here, they should have one, because it is in the GB mandate.

Dr Aiken: If he picks up a load in Carlisle and comes back, he has to have a speed limiter.

Mr Kennedy: No, because he is registered here.

Dr Aiken: Right.

Mr Kennedy: If he is registered here in a vehicle that is type approved for the Northern Ireland market, he does not require it. GB is saying that anything registered on its side will have Ministry of Transport regulations applied and will need a speed limiter.

Mr Martin: It is a really interesting point. We are thinking along similar lines. It is about where the vehicle is registered, not about where it goes to. It would seem — Steve just asked the question — that, if you had one of those N2 vans, and you wanted to drive it to Carlisle, when you get to the mainland, it becomes illegal because it does not have the speed limiter that every other van in GB will have because that is the context. However, you are saying that, as long as the vehicle that is coming from Northern Ireland is registered in Northern Ireland, it will not be stopped by the police if someone is driving at 65 mph, and the police cannot say, "Surely, you should have a speed limiter". They do not have to have that. It is based on the registration of the vehicle.

Mr Kennedy: It is based on the registration and type approval.

Dr Aiken: Because of the rules in GB, they will not be allowed to go over the mandated speed limit for those types of vehicles anyway.

Mr Kennedy: Yes, you will be mandated to 60 mph, 50 mph or whatever the case may be.

Dr Aiken: It is less safe using the EU regulation.

The Chairperson (Ms Ferguson): Caroline, do you want to continue?

Dr Aiken: Sorry about that.

Ms Hobson: The second question is:

DfT has advised that:

Euro 7 requirements generally build on Euro 6, and they will apply to all petrol and diesel cars, vans, lorries and buses. Euro 7 is due to commence in the EU, including in Northern Ireland, in November 2026 for newly launched cars and, on 29 November 2027, for all other cars and vans on sale. They must meet the standards or be prohibited from being sold to customers.

As I said, Euro 7 will apply in GB, but it will not apply in NI. However, DfT plans to consult this year on options for Euro 7 in GB. Again, the consultation will aim to align GB and EU type approval requirements.

Dr Aiken: Apologies, Caroline. Just so that I get it right: GB is adopting Euro 7.

Ms Hobson: The EU is adopting Euro 7.

Dr Aiken: Most people will buy their vehicles in GB and bring them over. If they are fitted with speed limiters, they will be perfectly legal to drive in Northern Ireland.

Mr Connor Murray (Department for Infrastructure): If you are referring back to the issue of the speed limiter on the electric vans, the EU regulation removes the mandate to have one. It does not make it illegal to have one on it. You can still have one if you want.

Dr Aiken: People here are going to buy vans from GB and, particularly, second-hand vans. If they come across with speed limiters, they will be perfectly legal to drive here.

Ms Hobson: Yes, absolutely. In GB, as part of the type approval process, they have to have the speed limiter. If they come across here, it may simply be a case of them not turning the speed limiter function on. There is no real technical difference to the requirements.

Dr Aiken: They are talking about EV vehicles and decibel levels. I cannot imagine that a GB vehicle would fail a test here in Northern Ireland on sound, would it?

Mr Kennedy: I do not believe that they are made any differently.

Dr Aiken: That is what I am thinking.

Ms Hobson: I will move on to the third question, which is:

DfT has advised:

It is important to recognise that, on 18 December 2025, DfT confirmed that it intends to legislate to mandate that vehicles placed on the market in GB must hold dual GB and EU type approval and marking, enabling their sale in both GB and Northern Ireland. If there is not a clear commitment from the industry, the proposed legislation will make that the default position for vehicles sold in the UK.

A call for evidence on the approval and marking of road vehicles placed on the market in Great Britain was launched on 18 December 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. We will continue to monitor the outcome of the consultation. In the meantime, the Government continue to urge manufacturers to dual-approve vehicles in order to ensure a consistent regulatory landscape across the whole of the UK. Again, the UK Government remain fully committed to supporting the motor industry across the whole of the UK, recognising the vital role that it plays in our economy.

Mr Brooks: On question 3, at this stage, do we know what percentage of those vans or the vehicles on our roads generally have come from the EU?

Ms Hobson: No, we do not know that, but we have engaged with DfT to try to get some figures, because it is unclear. I know that uptake is low at the moment. I know that, in the UK as a whole, we have signed up to —.

Mr Brooks: They probably come from the Republic of Ireland for the most part, because it is the only country in the EU, aside from Cyprus and Malta, where people drive on the same side of the road as we do. So, I imagine that it is a relatively small number.

Ms Hobson: We anticipate that that is the case, but, again, we have asked DfT to clarify some figures.

I was going to say that the UK, as a whole, including the Northern Ireland Executive, signed up to the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate and the targets in that. I think that, by 2035, 100% of small electric vehicles —

Mr Brooks: — will be sold?

Ms Hobson: Yes. It is all to incentivise and encourage that.

Mr Brooks: That is grand. The question is aimed at our consideration. It is almost a disincentive to not apply it. I just want to understand whether or not it will have a meaningful impact. It does not sound as though that in itself will be significant. Thank you.

Ms Hobson: Question 4 was:

We in DFI have engaged and continue to engage with our DfT counterparts on the proposed regulation and have provided input on the drafting of a UK Government explanatory memorandum (EM). DfT has not yet consulted with stakeholders on the proposals. It was the intention that a final EM would be in place by 2 March, but that has not been finalised. We have engaged with DfT on that. Our understanding is that that has not, as yet, been finalised.

Dr Aiken: May I ask a spotter-type question? When we talk about 4·5 tons, are we talking about Ford Transit vans?

Mr Kennedy: We are talking about a van that will look like a standard Ford Transit, but it will have a maximum weight of 4·25 tons to allow for the extra weight of the battery, over that for a normal diesel engine. You will not get any extra load in the back. It is to allow for the running of it.

Dr Aiken: Because the vehicle is heaver.

Mr Kennedy: Yes. It is because the vehicle will start off heavier.

Dr Aiken: Have we touched base with Amazon, because it seems to be the biggest user of such vans in Northern Ireland?

Mr Kennedy: It probably uses electric vehicles that are below 3·5 tons. A lot of Amazon vans are filled with boxes of air. If you ever get a box from Amazon, you will know that, sometimes, there is a tiny thing in a big box.

Dr Aiken: So, it is the weight that we are talking about?

Mr Kennedy: Yes. Those are vans that maybe do not go over 3·5 tons.

Ms Hobson: When the EU brought forward the proposals, it had extensive engagement at an EU level, and Amazon was one of the stakeholders that it consulted with.

Dr Aiken: Thank you very much indeed. Every day is a school day, as they say.

The Chairperson (Ms Ferguson): Jonathan is next, and then Cathal. Yes, Jonathan.

Mr Boylan: That is the first time Jonny has been silent.

Mr Buckley: Sorry, I did not know how to have you lip-read, "I can't get in".

Thank you very much for your evidence. A lot of this relates to Steve's questions. With considerations such as type approval, including EU type 7, and other matters, such as speed limiters and e-vans, a lot of it is based on the premise that the UK Government will regulate in the same way. That fills me with no confidence whatsoever. If it had not been for the actions of our dealerships, particularly in the second-hand market, we would not have been able to flag the issues around supply chains and other matters that they saw coming down the road. I have concern about this, particularly the creation of a new category for small e-vehicles, because it opens the way to further divergence in the future.

My question is on the supply chain. Given that many of the vehicles — in this case, vans — are sourced from GB, and I know a number of people who source them from there, what will the supply chain look like if a regulation such as this goes through, particularly when you delve into the stockpiles in England and Scotland for vehicles to bring into the Northern Ireland market?

Mr Murray: To be honest, it is hard for us to say, because we do not understand dealerships' supply chains clearly. You mentioned used vehicles: it should not affect the sale of those, because type approval standards apply to new vehicles. A used vehicle can be sold freely in both jurisdictions.

It is a reserved matter, so we cannot speak in great detail about the potential impacts. However, we mentioned that DfT has just closed the call for evidence on mandating dual marking. That means that any new vehicle made for the UK/GB market would have to be dual-marked for the EU as well. If that were to go ahead, it would negate any supply chain impacts from potential divergence in type approval standards.

Ms Hobson: We were not aware of the issue, but we recognised the interest in and press on the matter before Christmas. On the back of that, we reached out to DfT and engaged with it to say, "We are very concerned. Consumers over here are concerned about this". DfT went out to consultation around dual marking mainly because we had been actively trying to identify the issue and flag the concerns.

As Connor said, we do not really know about the supply chain. We were aware of the issue and understood the implications, so we raised the matter and did our best. That resulted in the consultation, which should, hopefully, have a positive outcome for dealerships, because DfT has said that, if manufacturers will not voluntarily agree to have dual marking, DfT will mandate it through legislation. I also highlight DfT's continued line on the presumption of alignment. DfT is keen to make sure that the trade market in the UK as a whole is not impacted on.

I take on board your point about the new category. GB recognises the risk that the EU may introduce the new category for small vehicles, which may result in its introducing further legislation in that respect. GB is aware of that, but it will consider it when it happens.

The Chairperson (Ms Ferguson): We have lost Jonathan.

Mr Buckley: Sorry, Chair, I could not unmute myself.

The Chairperson (Ms Ferguson): You are fine.

Mr Buckley: Thanks for that. It goes to the heart of where the confusion is in the industry. The offer is, "Look, we can sort this out for the longer term. GB will regulate in the same fashion", but we have seen that we have no certainty of that. To be honest, we need to think long-term. Our dealerships are crying out for long-term planning. They operate on a longer-term basis. One of the issues that they raised at the time about the other regulations was that you can be offered the assurance that the change applies only to new vehicles and does not apply after that, but that puts you at a disadvantage with competitors in GB and other places because it affects your offer. I am not convinced that the introduction of such regulations is in the best interests of our consumers, whom we want to give the best possible choice, or supports our local businesses. I know that you cannot answer on the particulars, but I can see how a real difference could develop that would ultimately impact on consumer choice in Northern Ireland.

Mr Boylan: Thank you very much for your responses. I will follow on from Jonny's questions. I am a member of the Infrastructure Committee, and I am wearing both Committee hats today. I am mindful of some of the changes, because the Infrastructure Committee engages with the EV sector. You said that stakeholders are yet to be consulted. On behalf of the Infrastructure Committee — the Chair is not here — I ask what challenges stakeholders will face. When will they find out what is happening, and when will we know exactly what challenges they will have? No doubt representatives of the sector will come before the Infrastructure Committee at some point; the sector has engaged on some matters but not this one in particular. What is DFI's time frame?

Ms Hobson: It is an ongoing process, to be honest. We have regular engagement with our DfT colleagues. Other divisions in the Department deal with matters relating to electric vehicles, and I cannot speak for them, but, for example, we have a decarbonisation team. I anticipate that there will be more engagement, but it is difficult to say when.

The EU legislation that is being brought forward is very much aimed at encouraging uptake, because there is a recognition of the need for that. In January, the Executive signed up to the ZEV mandate with an acknowledgement that uptake was very low. In the wider field of climate change, there is a commitment to it, but, unfortunately, we cannot give time frames. In the Department, we continually look at what we can do to help with that situation.

Mr Boylan: I appreciate that. I know that it will come at us at some stage. Thank you very much for your response.

Mr Brooks: Is the Department's not being aware of supply lines and so on an argument for greater consultation or engagement locally with dealerships to better understand the impacts on them, or is that sufficiently picked up by DfT?

Mr Murray: We always encourage greater engagement with the public and commercial sectors. One aspect of that is how much they would want to share with the Department, because some information will be classified as commercial in confidence, but we are always open to engagement, whether that is formal or informal, so that is something that we will consider.

Mr Brooks: I am not trying to put you on the hook, but are you saying that the main reason why you do not have that knowledge is that the dealerships would not be willing to share elements of it? Being honest, is it, rather, a case of there not having been engagement on those issues? I understand that it is a reserved matter.

Mr Murray: I am not saying —.

Mr Kennedy: It is a reserved matter.

Mr Murray: That is it: it is a reserved matter.

Mr Brooks: I understand that. It is something that the Committee constantly deals with. To be fair to DfT, it seems to be more engaged on the issue than other Whitehall Departments have been on others. We have always argued that, whether or not a matter is reserved, our Departments are the gatekeepers and holders of in-country relationships and that we therefore rely on them for evidence, as you know. All Departments need to be proactive: if there are gaps in our knowledge, we need to reach out. I do not suggest that huge resource should go into that, but discussion should be had with the dealerships to understand the issues that might arise. That is my only point on that.

Ms Hobson: We are happy with that. We are happy to feed anything back to DfT to make sure that it is considered as part of the process.

Mr Brooks: Absolutely. It is a grey area and a constant source of tension with the Committee: we rely on advice from Departments that do not technically hold responsibility for the issue but, nevertheless, are the gatekeepers of the local relationships. That is my only point. I appreciate that; thank you.

The Chairperson (Ms Ferguson): No other member has indicated that there are any further questions. I thank Connor, Roy and Caroline for their presentation.