Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of other offences linked to vehicles with number plates that are non-readable by automatic number plate recognition systems.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
On-road enforcement of offences relating to the display of number plates and any potential links to other offences are a matter for the police. Therefore, no assessment has been made.
The Government understand the impact of number plate crime and is determined to tackle it. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime including the use of cloned and ghost number plates.
The Department welcomes the recent report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety and is considering the report’s recommendations. Options to support more robust application and audit processes, which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers are also being considered.
The Government published its Road Safety Strategy on 7 January 2026, setting out its vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of this, the Department from Transport is reviewing motoring offences and has published a consultation which seeks views on the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for the offence of “being in charge of a motor vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate”.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that police have adequate powers to detain vehicles with number plates that are non-readable by automatic number plate recognition systems in order to assess whether the vehicle or driver have committed other offences.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government takes road safety extremely seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads, as well as tackling behaviours that make our roads less safe. We have tough penalties and rigorous enforcement in place to deter offending behaviour. The government published the Road Safety Strategy on 7 January which consults on a number of motoring offences, including tougher enforcement to tackle illegal number plates. Police have a suite of powers to deal with vehicles being driven illegally, anti-socially or carelessly and without insurance or a driving licence. These powers include seizure and disposal of vehicles involved in offences. Police also have the power to stop a vehicle so that further investigation of potential offences can take place.The Government is also working with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the police and industry to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of non-compliant number plates on the ability to trace and prosecute hit-and-run drivers.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Under the new Road Safety Strategy, the Government has announced firm action to tackle non-compliant or ‘ghost’ numberplates. This includes consulting on tougher penalties, including penalty points and vehicle seizure, more robust checks on number plate suppliers, and higher industry standards for numberplates. We also intend to commission targeted research to explore the potential use of AI to identify illegal plates.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of motorcycle riders operating on learner plates beyond two years through repeated completion of Compulsory Basic Training.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Currently, to gain a full motorcycle licence, individuals’ must pass a theory test and both parts of the practical test. Both Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) and theory certificates have a two-year validity, and if an individual has not passed their test within 2 years of taking the CBT & theory tests, they will have to start the process again.
As part of the Department for Transport’s Road Safety Strategy, on 7 January the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) launched a consultation on motorcycle training, testing and licencing in Great Britain. The consultation will help inform a targeted review of the training, testing and licensing regime for motorcyclists with the aim of making changes to improve safety, modernise and simplify people’s access to motorcycling.
As set out in the consultation, it is understood that a proportion of riders take CBT and don’t go on to take their theory and practical tests to gain a full motorcycle licence. Between March 2023 and March 2025 77,000 learner riders repeated their CBT course.
One aim of the consultation is to determine if riders should be prevented from continually riding on a provisional licence.
The consultation will close at 11:59pm on 31 March 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2026 to Question 99931, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of illegal number plates on national security, serious organised crime, terrorism and the effectiveness of ANPR systems.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Vehicle registration marks are essential for identifying vehicles involved in crime. Individuals engaged in serious and organised crime, terrorism and other high‑harm offending often rely on the UK’s road network to facilitate their criminal activities.
We work closely with policing partners, the DVLA and other agencies to understand and mitigate risks posed by illegal or obscured number plates. The Home Office supports efforts to prevent their use and to strengthen ANPR effectiveness through investment and enforcement activity. ANPR remains a valuable tool to help the police tackle crime and keep the road safe. We keep the effectiveness of ANPR use under regular review, to ensure it remains a robust tool for identifying vehicles of interest and those engaged in criminal activities.
Comprehensive advice and guidance is available via the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), which includes signposting to a suite of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) products and counter-measures. The specialist advice regarding HVM includes up-to-date technical resources and best practice advice regarding their deployment, and is available from these organisations.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of unlawful number plates on (a) the ability of the police to trace hit-and-run drivers and (b) efforts to reduce the proportion of untraced driver claims handled by the Motor Insurers' Bureau.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
While those specific assessments have not been made, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime. On-road enforcement of number plate and insurance offences is a matter for the police.
The Government published its Road Safety Strategy on 7 January, setting out its vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of this, the Department for Transport is reviewing motoring offences and has published a consultation which seeks views on the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for the offence of being in charge of a motor vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate. The consultation can be found online at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will consider increasing funding to improve the (a) security and (b) enforcement of vehicle registration marks.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 7 January 2026, the Government published its Road Safety Strategy, which sets out plans to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Great Britain’s roads, including through a focus on robust enforcement.
The Strategy also sets out the Government’s intention to consult on addressing the growing problem of illegal number plates, including ‘ghost’ number plates. The Department for Transport has published a consultation on proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences, including the use of illegal number plates designed to evade detection. Separately, the DVLA has been engaged in work to strengthen the relevant number plate standard and officials are considering options to support more robust application and audit processes for number plate suppliers.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will assess the potential merits of long-term reform to (a) vehicle identification systems and (b) enforcement systems in tackling number plate crime.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government recognises the impact of number plate fraud and is committed to addressing this issue. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime. On road enforcement remains the responsibility of the police.
The government published its new Road Safety Strategy on 7 January, setting out its vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of this, the Department for Transport is reviewing motoring offences and has published a consultation which seeks views on the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for the offence of being in charge of a motor vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate. The consultation can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences.
Efforts are underway to strengthen application and audit processes for number plate suppliers. DVLA enforcement officers work with the police and Trading Standards to conduct compliance visits to number plate suppliers, inspecting practices and records as necessary.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ghost plates pose on (a) national security and (b) the ability of hostile or organised criminal actors to evade detection by ANPR technology; and whether she has commissioned a cross-government review on the potential impact of the use of illegal plates on investigative leads, including those related to violent crime, terrorism, and serious organised criminal activity.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Under the new Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January by the Department for Transport, the Government has announced firm action to tackle illegal or ‘ghost’ numberplates. This includes consulting on tougher penalties, including penalty points and vehicle seizure, more robust checks on number plate suppliers, and higher industry standards for numberplates. We also intend to commission targeted research to explore the potential use of artificial intelligence to identify illegal plates.
In addition, the Government has pledged £2.7m for each of the next three years to support a roads policing innovation programme. As part of this innovation programme, the Department for Transport and Home Office are working in collaboration with National Police Chiefs' Council and others to consider new approaches to tackling the issue of illegal plate usage.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2025 to Question 99978, when she expects the Government to publish its response to the public consultation on proposed amendments to BS AU 145e.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The consultation on proposed amendments to BS AU 145e was carried out by the British Standards Institution and the BSI is responsible for publishing the response to the consultation.
The current penalty for using an incorrect or non-compliant number plate is a £100 fixed penalty notice. Fixed penalty notices are issued by the police. The current penalty for using a vehicle with a cloned number plate is up to two years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
The government published its new Road Safety Strategy on 7 January 2026, setting out its vision for a safer future on our roads for all. As part of this, the Department from Transport is reviewing motoring offences and has published a consultation which seeks views on the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for the offence of “being in charge of a motor vehicle with an incorrect/altered/false number plate”. The consultation can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-changes-to-penalties-for-motoring-offences.