Dear Sir or Madam,

Could you please state what actions the DVLA, Trading Standards and
the Police take to ensure that the information held on the register
of number-plate suppliers is accurate?

Could you also state what level of accuracy the database is
currently held at and what level the government/DVLA requires it
not to fall beneath?

Yours faithfully,

A Thomas

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please see response to your email.

Thank you for your email of 22 July requesting information regarding the Register of Number Plate Suppliers. This was requested under the Freedom of Information Act but this is being dealt with under business as usual.

If I briefly explain, the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS) was introduced in England and Wales in 2003 to control the supply of number plates. The regulations will be extended to include Scotland and Northern Ireland from 1 August 2008. The scheme is designed to stop motorists being able to buy false number plates to avoid fines and penalties and thieves who put false number plates on stolen vehicles to make the vehicle look legitimate.

The scheme is administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and we have enforcement officers who visit suppliers to ensure they are adhering to the regulations regarding the production and supply of number plates. There is a legal requirement for suppliers to inform DVLA in writing within 28 days if the company no longer trades as a number plate supplier. As the onus is on DVLA to administer and enforce the scheme I cannot give a definitive answer regarding the actions of the Police and Trading Standards.

The accuracy of the RNPS records are confirmed when visits are made by enforcement officers and the information supplied by number plate suppliers. Suppliers are under a legal obligation to inform the Agency of changes that occur with the business eg change of address.

Jayne Thomas
Crime and Compliance
DVLA

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Dear Jayne Thomas,

Thank you for your reply to my questions.

I can understand that you cannot answer for the Police and Trading
Standards but I would still ask for a response to the second part
of my question which was.

Could you also state what level of accuracy the database is
currently held at and what level the government/DVLA requires it
not to fall beneath?

Yours sincerely,

Paul Smith

Please find attached reply for FOIR 1167.

Please contact me if you have any queries.

Regards

Samantha Fisher
Corporate Management Services
C3/E

01792 786810

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