Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to tackle illegal ‘ghost’ registration plates on motorcars.

The Government is committed to tackling number plate crime. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) works closely with police forces and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to improve the identification and enforcement.

Under its Road Safety Strategy, the Department for Transport is reviewing motoring offences. It has consulted on introducing penalty points and vehicle seizure for those in charge of a vehicle displaying an incorrect, altered or false number plate. The consultation closed on 11 May and responses are being considered.

The DVLA is also considering how to make the Register of Number Plate Suppliers more robust and auditable, enabling tighter checks on suppliers and the plates they provide. This includes reviewing the scheme’s fees, structure, resources and funding.

Working with the British Standards Institution, the DVLA has developed targeted amendments to the British Standard for number plates. These would prohibit raised or “ghost” characteristics and require finished plates to be flat, directly addressing the products of greatest concern. Work is under way to bring these changes into law.

The Department has also funded a new National Roads Policing Coordination Centre to help police forces share intelligence, collaborate more effectively and use data and technology to target those using illegal number plates.