Conflict of interest: Test body for cars in VW emission scandal receives 70pc of funding from companies it services
Nearly 70pc of funding for the agency comes from car companies it investigates, lawyer calls for robust and transparent probe into the rigged devices by and independent agency
The body examining the practices of the car industry following the Volkswagen emissions scandal has been accused of a major conflict of interest after it emerged that nearly three quarters of its funding comes from the companies it is investigating.
According to its latest annual report, the Vehicle Certification Agency receives 69.91 per cent of its income from car manufacturers, who pay it to certify that their vehicles are meeting emissions and safety standards.
The transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said last month that the VCA, which also receives government funding, would be responsible for re-running tests on a variety of makes of diesel cars and investigating their real-world emissions.
The announcement followed the revelation from the US Environmental Protection Agency last month that Volkswagen had installed illegal software to cheat emission tests, allowing its diesel cars to produce up to 40 times more pollution than is permitted.
However, the apparent conflict of interest raised by VCA’s funding has prompted lawyers to demand a truly independent investigation into the industry, and will raise fresh concerns over the government’s handling of the issue of air pollution.
Last week the Observer revealed how the government has been seeking to block EU legislation that would force member states to carry out surprise checks on car emissions. It has also been accused of ignoring a supreme court ruling that the government needed to urgently draw up significant plans to tackle the air pollution problem, which has been in breach of EU limits for years and is linked to thousands of premature deaths each year.
