Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle number plate cloning; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of vehicle cloning on (a) the finances, (b) the legal position and (c) other factors for motorists in Hertfordshire incorrectly pursued for offences committed by others.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned number plates.

The law requires anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK to be registered with the DVLA. It is a legal requirement for suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who can prove they are entitled to the registration number and suppliers must also keep records of the plates they have supplied.

The DVLA assists the police and Trading Standards in their enforcement against number plate suppliers, including those who trade illegally. When notified, the DVLA will investigate and pass on intelligence to the police who are responsible for investigating this criminal matter.

Anyone who thinks their number plate may have been cloned should contact the police immediately. Any fines received should be returned to the issuing authorities. The DVLA can provide customers with letters that can be used as supporting evidence and can also on request provide a replacement registration number free of charge, to help victims of number plate cloning. This helps the police to identify the vehicle concerned and prevent the receipt of any fixed penalties for that vehicle registration number.

The specific information requested about the potential impact of this issue on motorists in Hertfordshire is not available.