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.

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.