Request ID: FOI-3472-2324 Date published: 05 February 2024
You asked
Any communications between the Transport Commissioner or any TfL staff, the Mayor or any City Hall staff, to the Treasury or Central Government, and any replies, concerning the Plug in Taxi Grant, or VAT relief on the purchase price of new taxis?
To clarify, I am asking to FOI any communications concerning financial incentives and measures to support take up of zero emission capable taxis, specifically the Plug-In Taxi Grant AND/OR VAT relief on the purchase of new licensed taxis from the TfL Commissioner, any TfL staff, the Mayor of London or any GLA staff to HM Treasury, the Department for Transport or Number 10, and any replies, from the period between 03 June 2023 and 03 January 2024.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-3472-2324 Thank you for your request received on 9 January 2024 asking for information about the Plug in Taxi grant (PiTG). Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.
We have identified a number of emails between TfL and the Department for Transport (DfT), however, these relate to the day-to-day administration of the PiTG scheme and we do not believe they are relevant to your request. We have also identified a letter from Andy Lord, TfL’s Commissioner, to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury – asking for support for London’s taxi trade including a continuation of the PiTG beyond March 2024 and VAT relief on the purchase of taxis as wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV) as well as a response from the Treasury to this. Please find copies of these letters attached.
In accordance with our obligations under Data Protection legislation some personal data has been removed, as required by section 40(2) of the FOI Act. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the legislation, specifically the first principle of Article 5 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions which would make the processing ‘fair’.
This exemption to the right of access to information is an absolute exemption and not subject to an assessment of whether the public interest favours use of the exemption.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London [email protected]
