Govt 'too optimistic on emissions reporting'

Car and van insurance policyholders who like to keep abreast of current mooring affairs may be interested to read that a report has criticised the government for being overly optimistic with regards to progress on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from transport.

The Transport Select Committee has called upon ministers to provide greater stability within the Department for Transport and to be more cautious with its reporting so as not to mislead.

Transport Committee chairman, MP Louise Ellman, suggested the frequent changing of transport minister is not helping the department to foster a consistent approach, however, she suggested that ministers have made progress in establishing a new direction for the department.

The department has also helped generate positive tends such as increasing the number of people travelling by rail, bus and bicycle.

Mrs Ellman went on to say that the sector needs to be more realistic with its reporting.

"It reports strong progress on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from transport when, in fact, they have increased since 2000 and are unlikely to reduce before 2020," she commented.

The MP added that some efficiency savings reported by the department cannot be verified and some measures have in fact cost money rather than saving it and called for greater quality in the statistics it collects with regards to road casualties.

Among its recent plans to help reduce emissions, the government has announced motorists, potentially including car insurance policyholders, will receive up to £5,000 to buy an ultra-low carbon car from 2011.

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The views expressed within the article are entirely those of Adfero Ltd and are not those of the BGL Group