Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that signage for EV charging stations can be erected in the same way as for a fuel pump.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Clear and consistent electric vehicle (EV) signage is essential to support the EV transition, ensuring drivers can confidently and safely undertake journeys. We’re modernising EV road signage so drivers can more easily find chargers.
Changes announced in July 2025 allow signing from major A-roads for charging hubs with at least 12 ultra-rapid chargepoints and the same level of facilities as existing A-road services.
We will continue to work with industry to improve EV signage. We are currently engaging with stakeholders on what further changes would be valuable for signage on motorways, major A-roads and on local roads.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the availability of signage for EV charging points on A-roads and on the strategic road network.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Clear and consistent electric vehicle (EV) signage is essential to support the EV transition, ensuring drivers can confidently and safely undertake journeys. We’re modernising EV road signage so drivers can more easily find chargers.
Changes announced in July 2025 allow signing from major A-roads for charging hubs with at least 12 ultra-rapid chargepoints and the same level of facilities as existing A-road services.
We will continue to work with industry to improve EV signage. We are currently engaging with stakeholders on what further changes would be valuable for signage on motorways, major A-roads and on local roads.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what percentage of ultra-rapid charging hubs along A-roads and motorways are eligible for roadside signage.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Clear and consistent electric vehicle (EV) signage is essential to support the EV transition, ensuring drivers can confidently and safely undertake journeys. We’re modernising EV road signage so drivers can more easily find chargers.
Changes announced in July 2025 allow signing from major A-roads for charging hubs with at least 12 ultra-rapid chargepoints and the same level of facilities as existing A-road services.
We will continue to work with industry to improve EV signage. We are currently engaging with stakeholders on what further changes would be valuable for signage on motorways, major A-roads and on local roads.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer of 2 March 2026 to question 115655, what safeguards and checks the DVLA has in place to ensure the 1,840 number plate suppliers who have been struck off the register of number plate suppliers since 2020 cannot successfully re-apply to become a registered supplier.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The 1,840 suppliers who were removed from the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS) since 2020 includes those suppliers who were removed voluntarily, suppliers that have ceased trading and those whose removal was ordered by a court.
Suppliers who were removed from the RNPS voluntarily or because they have ceased trading can re-register at any time. Removals from the RNPS ordered by a court are usually for a fixed period, up to a maximum of five years.
If the DVLA is aware that removal from the RNPS has been ordered by a court, the supplier will not be able to rejoin the register until the length of the exclusion ordered by the court has expired.
When a supplier applies to join the RNPS, checks are carried out against the business and individual’s name(s) and address to confirm if they have previously been on the RNPS. This ensures number plate suppliers whose removal from the RNPS was ordered by a court cannot successfully re-apply to become a registered supplier during their removal period.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the DVLA can provide a list of suppliers who have been struck off the Register of Number Plate suppliers since 2020.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Register of Number Plate suppliers (RNPS) enforcement officers are on the road auditing number plate suppliers three to four days a week. Other days are reserved for administration, training, meetings with stakeholders, partner organisations and other matters.
Since 2020, 1,840 outlets have been removed from the RNPS. This includes voluntary removals, suppliers that have ceased trading as well as removals ordered by a court. A list of suppliers removed from the RNPS as a result of a court order can only be provided at disproportionate cost. To extract this information would require a manual interrogation of each of the 1,840 records to determine the reason for removal.
Suppliers who have been removed from the RNPS voluntarily or because they have ceased trading can re-register at any time. Court ordered removals from the RNPS are usually for a fixed period up to a maximum of five years. The DVLA will not allow a suppler to rejoin the RNPS during the time while a court ordered period is in effect. Information on how many suppliers have rejoined the RNPS following their removal from the register is not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost. To extract this information would also require a manual interrogation of each of the 1,840 records to determine if the supplier has returned to the register.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many days per year the DVLA's enforcement officers are on the road.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Register of Number Plate suppliers (RNPS) enforcement officers are on the road auditing number plate suppliers three to four days a week. Other days are reserved for administration, training, meetings with stakeholders, partner organisations and other matters.
Since 2020, 1,840 outlets have been removed from the RNPS. This includes voluntary removals, suppliers that have ceased trading as well as removals ordered by a court. A list of suppliers removed from the RNPS as a result of a court order can only be provided at disproportionate cost. To extract this information would require a manual interrogation of each of the 1,840 records to determine the reason for removal.
Suppliers who have been removed from the RNPS voluntarily or because they have ceased trading can re-register at any time. Court ordered removals from the RNPS are usually for a fixed period up to a maximum of five years. The DVLA will not allow a suppler to rejoin the RNPS during the time while a court ordered period is in effect. Information on how many suppliers have rejoined the RNPS following their removal from the register is not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost. To extract this information would also require a manual interrogation of each of the 1,840 records to determine if the supplier has returned to the register.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many suppliers has the DVLA returned to the Register of Number Plate Suppliers following their removal from the Register.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Register of Number Plate suppliers (RNPS) enforcement officers are on the road auditing number plate suppliers three to four days a week. Other days are reserved for administration, training, meetings with stakeholders, partner organisations and other matters.
Since 2020, 1,840 outlets have been removed from the RNPS. This includes voluntary removals, suppliers that have ceased trading as well as removals ordered by a court. A list of suppliers removed from the RNPS as a result of a court order can only be provided at disproportionate cost. To extract this information would require a manual interrogation of each of the 1,840 records to determine the reason for removal.
Suppliers who have been removed from the RNPS voluntarily or because they have ceased trading can re-register at any time. Court ordered removals from the RNPS are usually for a fixed period up to a maximum of five years. The DVLA will not allow a suppler to rejoin the RNPS during the time while a court ordered period is in effect. Information on how many suppliers have rejoined the RNPS following their removal from the register is not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost. To extract this information would also require a manual interrogation of each of the 1,840 records to determine if the supplier has returned to the register.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons vehicles may not have registered keepers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Vehicles that are currently in the motor trade may legitimately have no registered keeper as well as vehicles that have been sold but the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has not yet been notified of the new keeper.
There will also be cases where the DVLA has been made aware of someone being incorrectly associated with a vehicle they are not responsible for. In those cases, the DVLA will remove the person’s name from the vehicle record to help ensure that they are not contacted about a vehicle for which they are not responsible.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fines the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has issued to people who have failed to update their address on their driving license in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not allow individual vehicle keepers to use a PO Box address to register their vehicles. Fleet companies are able to use a PO box address but this must always be accompanied by the full and verifiable postal address. This supports vehicle accuracy and the traceability of registered keepers. The DVLA is unable to identify the number of vehicle records with a PO box number as part of the address as the data is filtered by post code.
The DVLA has not issued any fines to people who failed to update their vehicle registration certificate or driving licence in the last five years.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fines the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has issued to people who failed to update their V5C logbook in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not allow individual vehicle keepers to use a PO Box address to register their vehicles. Fleet companies are able to use a PO box address but this must always be accompanied by the full and verifiable postal address. This supports vehicle accuracy and the traceability of registered keepers. The DVLA is unable to identify the number of vehicle records with a PO box number as part of the address as the data is filtered by post code.
The DVLA has not issued any fines to people who failed to update their vehicle registration certificate or driving licence in the last five years.