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Written question asked by Scott Arthur (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 January 2026. It was answered by Lilian Greenwood (Labour) on Wednesday, 28 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Vehicle Number Plates: Fraud

Question

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.

Answer

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.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
107269
Session
2024-26
Related items
Deposited Paper DEP2026-0008
Wednesday, 7 January 2026
Deposited papers
House of Commons
Subjects
Fraud Road traffic offences Vehicle number plates
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk