Registration of number plate suppliers to be extended

New powers gained under the Road Safety Act 2006 will see The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland step up the enforcement effort against number plate suppliers who break the law in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

DVLA and DVA are calling on all number plate suppliers in Scotland and Northern Ireland to register with the Agencies before 1st November 2008. Those who continue to supply a number plate after that date without being registered risk a fine of up to £5,000 and/or suspension from the register. This follows the extension to Scotland and Northern Ireland of regulations governing the supply of number plates, which previously only applied in England and Wales.

From 1st November 2008, number plate suppliers in Scotland and Northern Ireland must request and record specific documentation (such as vehicle registration certificates (V5C/V5CNI) and a driving licence) from customers before supplying number plates. Failure to do so will constitute an offence. Suppliers must keep these records for three years following a sale. In the event of a conviction, a court may impose a fine of up to £1,000 and/or suspend a supplier for up to five years from the register if they fail to comply with the requirements of the scheme.

The Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS) regulations were originally introduced in England and Wales in January 2003. This is to tackle vehicle-related crimes and reduce the sale and use of ‘cloned’ or ‘ringed’ vehicles as well as the use of number plates that do not conform to the necessary legal requirements.

While it is already an offence across the UK for motorists to display non-compliant number plates on their vehicles, as of 1st November 2008 it will become an offence to supply number plates that do not comply with the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001. Some number plate suppliers already advise their customers that non-compliant number plates cannot be used on the road and are for display purposes only, however, it will now be an offence to supply non-compliant number plates irrespective of any advice given.

Noel Shanahan, Chief Executive of DVLA said: “Extending the RNPS scheme to the rest of the UK, coupled with new regulations prohibiting the supply of non-compliant number plates are important and positive steps. These measures will further secure the integrity of the number plate supply system and provide greater assurance in helping to identify vehicles and their users where needed.”

Brendan Magee, Chief Executive of DVA said: “The extension of the RNPS scheme to Northern Ireland is further evidence of the Government’s commitment to making it more difficult for criminals to obtain number plates. This register will be an important source of information for the investigation of vehicle crime. These measures introduce some control over the supply of number plates and, along with recent progress towards the wider availability of theft-resistant number plates represent an essential component of the Government’s vehicle crime reduction strategy.”

Jonathan Hartley of the British Number plate Manufacturers Association (BNMA) said: “The BNMA very much welcomes the roll-out of the RNPS regulations to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Enforcement and awareness is the key to successful implementation and we welcome any new initiative by DVLA and DVA to push this strongly. We are positive that a well-enforced roll-out of the scheme will aid tractability of number plates, reduce number plate related crime and generally improve the quality of number plates fitted to vehicles in the UK.”

DVLA and DVA have a team of enforcement officers who visit suppliers’ premises. They are able to offer advice to help suppliers comply with the legislation. If they believe stronger action is warranted, they are also authorised to instigate legal proceedings.