Written questions by Coombes.

How many number plate suppliers have been found to be selling number plates without asking for vehicle ownership details.

The information requested about the number of people with criminal convictions, including fraud, is not held by the Department.The DVLA supports Trading Standards and the police in prosecuting suppliers who fail to meet the requirements of the relevant legislation. During 2025, the DVLA has supported Trading Standards and the police in the successful prosecution of 14 suppliers. These included offences of not keeping records and failing to ask for the required documentation. The DVLA also carries out audits of registered number plate suppliers and sends warning letters where appropriate. Over the last five years the DVLA has carried out 7,993 audits and sent 3,759 warning letters. The warning letters issued are related to not keeping the required records, supplying number plates without seeing original documents and for being an unregistered supplier.

What previous criminal offences checks the DVLA carries out on people on the register of number plate suppliers.

The information requested about the number of people with criminal convictions, including fraud, is not held by the Department.The DVLA supports Trading Standards and the police in prosecuting suppliers who fail to meet the requirements of the relevant legislation. During 2025, the DVLA has supported Trading Standards and the police in the successful prosecution of 14 suppliers. These included offences of not keeping records and failing to ask for the required documentation. The DVLA also carries out audits of registered number plate suppliers and sends warning letters where appropriate. Over the last five years the DVLA has carried out 7,993 audits and sent 3,759 warning letters. The warning letters issued are related to not keeping the required records, supplying number plates without seeing original documents and for being an unregistered supplier.

What steps she is taking to ensure occupant safety in automated vehicles.

The Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme consultation sought views from respondents on what sort of information could be published by permit holders in respect of the safeguarding of passengers. The consultation closed at the end of the September and responses are being analysed. Government intends that any organisation wishing to deploy an automated passenger services can evidence robust safeguarding policies to ensure passenger safety throughout the journey.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current legislation in ensuring that there is sufficient (a) liability and (b) responsibility in the case of a collision caused by an automated vehicle.

The framework in place today, established by the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, provides a process for Secretary of State to list vehicles as "automated" and sets out that if a listed vehicle causes an accident while driving itself, liability will be placed directly onto the vehicle's insurer. This provides victims with a clear and single point of contact for compensation.The insurer’s liability may be limited where the injured party’s actions contributed to the accident. And after compensating the victim, the Act also gives the insurer the right to bring a claim against the party at fault for the accident, for example the vehicle manufacturer.Vehicles piloted under the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme will be listed under the 2018 Act if in the Secretary of State’s opinion they can safely and legally drive themselves for at least part of the journey without being monitored by a safety driver. Subject to consultation outcomes, the Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme is expected to be in place from Spring 2026.Once the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 is fully in force, which we expect to happen in the second half of 2027, listing decisions will be replaced by the Secretary of State’s decisions as to whether to authorise vehicles. As with listing, vehicles will only be authorised if the Secretary of State is satisfied that the vehicles can safely and legally drive themselves. The rest of the provisions of the 2018 Act will continue to apply so that the insurer will be liable if an authorised vehicle causes an accident when driving itself.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of automated vehicles on road safety.

With 88% of road traffic collisions currently involving human error as a contributory factor, self-driving vehicles offer an opportunity to make our roads safer for the people who rely on them.Government will publish a Statement of Safety Principles – subject to consultation and approval by Parliament – against which the safety of these vehicles will be assessed.The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 commits us to framing the statement of safety principle with a view to securing that:authorised automated vehicles will achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or higher than, that of careful and competent human drivers. This is the same high standard to which we hold humans, and a higher standard than that of the average driver on UK roads – which is dragged down by those who break the law, or who are distracted, tired, or intoxicated; androad safety in Great Britain will be better because of authorised automated vehicles on roads than it would otherwise be.Those companies that take responsibility for self-driving vehicles will be subject to a rigorous new regulatory regime, which will operate alongside an independent Incident Investigation function.Together, this will build-in the same culture of learning and continuous improvement that has helped make our aviation, nuclear, and pharmaceutical industries some of the safest in the world.In June 2025, we published a call for evidence on the statement of safety principles. Responses are now being analysed, and we intend to publish a further consultation on the principles in 2026.

What recent discussions she has had with manufacturers on helping to ensure that (a) disabled people and (b) people with accessibility needs are served adequately by automated vehicles.

Ministers and officials regularly engage with the self-driving vehicle industry to understand opportunities and emerging best practice in respect of accessibility. For example, Waymo, a leading autonomous ride-hailing company and a member of the Department’s Automated Vehicles Industry Working Group, works with disability advocates through the Waymo Accessibility Network to involve disabled people in their work to improve access to their services. A range of individuals and companies, including vehicle manufacturers, submitted responses to the Automated Passenger Services (APS) Statutory Instrument Consultation that closed at the end of September. The consultation sought views on the types of information that permit holders should publish on how any new service is meeting the needs of older and disabled people. These responses are being analysed, and we intend to issue a government response in 2026.

What steps she is taking to ensure that data being transmitted by UK automated vehicles to manufacturers is not stored offshore.

Effective and secure storage of data produced by self-driving vehicles is vital for their deployment. Ahead of full implementation of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 in the second half of 2027, the Department for Transport will be seeking further information on data storage as part of upcoming consultations on the regulatory framework.

What proportion of vehicles involved in road traffic crashes within the last five years had no registered keeper.

The information requested is not held by the Department.

What proportion of drivers failed to notify the DVLA of a change of vehicle keeper or ownership in the preceeding five years.

The latest available data shows that of the 52,898,866 vehicles on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s vehicle database, 49,270,958 are contactable and traceable based on the information held on the DVLA’s records. Of the remainder it is estimated that around 2,889,000 vehicles are in the motor trade where a vehicle can legitimately have no registered keeper. Information on the number of people who did not notify the DVLA of a change of keeper is not available.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 74032 on Motor vehicles: registration, how many vehicles account for the remaining 7 per cent of vehicles identified that are neither contactable or traceable by the DVLA.

The latest available data shows that of the 52,898,866 vehicles on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s vehicle database, 49,270,958 are contactable and traceable based on the information held on the DVLA’s records. Of the remainder it is estimated that around 2,889,000 vehicles are in the motor trade where a vehicle can legitimately have no registered keeper. Information on the number of people who did not notify the DVLA of a change of keeper is not available.

What steps she is taking to ensure that data from electric vehicles is provided to the authorities in the event of a road traffic crash.

Event Data Recorders (EDRs) are systems which store information related to vehicle dynamics and other parameters in the moments around a collision. These enable effective crash investigations and analysis of safety equipment performance. Where appropriate, this data can be made available to relevant authorities through their investigatory powers, which is a matter for the Home Office. Many vehicles, not just electric vehicles, are fitted with Event Data Recorders (EDRs) due to requirements in other markets. The Government is exploring options for updates to our national type approval legislation to mandate fitment of EDRs along with other safety technologies and vehicle design features in Great Britain.

How many people were penalised for driving a vehicle with no registered keeper in the last five years.

While the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) maintains a register of vehicles and their keepers, on road enforcement of the law rests primarily with the police.

How many and what proportion of people waiting to be tried in court for motoring offences had their driving licence revoked while waiting for court proceedings to begin in the latest period for which data is available.

The Department for Transport does not hold this information.

How may and what proportion of people awaiting trial for a motoring offence in court commit further driving offences.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the number or proportion of those awaiting trial for a motoring offence who go onto commit a further offence whilst waiting.

How many and what proportion of people who were waiting to be tried in court for motoring offences had their driving licence revoked while waiting for court proceedings to begin in the latest period for which data is available.

The Department for Transport does not hold this information.The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. More details will be set out in due course.

How many times the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency revoked the driving licence of a driver who reached 12 points on their driving licence in each of the last 10 years.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s role in the driving licence endorsement and disqualification process is to update and maintain the driver record with information provided by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service. The DVLA does not disqualify individuals from driving. The courts are responsible for convicting and sentencing individuals for road traffic offences and notifies the DVLA of any convictions where the offence attracts either penalty points or a period of disqualification.Where a driving licence holder has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, a court can exercise its discretion and not disqualify them. The courts may decide to allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where it is considered by the court that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship. These are decisions for the courts and not the DVLA. On 30 August 2025 there were 10,384 drivers with more than 12 or more penalty points who have current driving entitlement and have not been disqualified by a court.The table below shows the number of drivers who have been disqualified from driving by a court as they have received 12 or more penalty points over the last four years. Some drivers may appear more than once in this table. Please note that this type of disqualification is removed from the driver record after four years so figures are not available before 30 August 2021.YearNumber of drivers with a TT99 offence202114,158202242,367202339,586202441,0202025 (to 30 August)27,313 The DVLA does not hold information on the number of drivers who have applied to have their driving disqualification period reduced.

How many drivers have applied to reduce their driving disqualification period in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those applications were successful.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s role in the driving licence endorsement and disqualification process is to update and maintain the driver record with information provided by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service. The DVLA does not disqualify individuals from driving. The courts are responsible for convicting and sentencing individuals for road traffic offences and notifies the DVLA of any convictions where the offence attracts either penalty points or a period of disqualification.Where a driving licence holder has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, a court can exercise its discretion and not disqualify them. The courts may decide to allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where it is considered by the court that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship. These are decisions for the courts and not the DVLA. On 30 August 2025 there were 10,384 drivers with more than 12 or more penalty points who have current driving entitlement and have not been disqualified by a court.The table below shows the number of drivers who have been disqualified from driving by a court as they have received 12 or more penalty points over the last four years. Some drivers may appear more than once in this table. Please note that this type of disqualification is removed from the driver record after four years so figures are not available before 30 August 2021.YearNumber of drivers with a TT99 offence202114,158202242,367202339,586202441,0202025 (to 30 August)27,313 The DVLA does not hold information on the number of drivers who have applied to have their driving disqualification period reduced.

How many drivers successfully claimed exceptional hardship when they reached 12 penalty points and continued to drive in the last five years.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s role in the driving licence endorsement and disqualification process is to update and maintain the driver record with information provided by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service. The DVLA does not disqualify individuals from driving. The courts are responsible for convicting and sentencing individuals for road traffic offences and notifies the DVLA of any convictions where the offence attracts either penalty points or a period of disqualification.Where a driving licence holder has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, a court can exercise its discretion and not disqualify them. The courts may decide to allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where it is considered by the court that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship. These are decisions for the courts and not the DVLA. On 30 August 2025 there were 10,384 drivers with more than 12 or more penalty points who have current driving entitlement and have not been disqualified by a court.The table below shows the number of drivers who have been disqualified from driving by a court as they have received 12 or more penalty points over the last four years. Some drivers may appear more than once in this table. Please note that this type of disqualification is removed from the driver record after four years so figures are not available before 30 August 2021.YearNumber of drivers with a TT99 offence202114,158202242,367202339,586202441,0202025 (to 30 August)27,313 The DVLA does not hold information on the number of drivers who have applied to have their driving disqualification period reduced.

What proportion of offenders convicted of (a) dangerous driving, (b) driving under the influence and (c) causing serious (i) injury and (ii) death by (A) careless and (B) dangerous driving have also previously failed to who fail to produce (a) a driving licence, (2) an MOT certificate and (3) insurance certificate.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences, including dangerous driving, driving under the influence, and causing serious injury or death by careless and dangerous driving in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK. It is not possible to identify those who were convicted of an offence and had been previously convicted for failing to produce either a driving licence, an MOT certificate or insurance certificates. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.

What assessment she has made of the proportion of DVLA keeper records that are (a) missing and (b) falsified.

The latest available data shows that more than 93 per cent of vehicle keepers are contactable and traceable based on the information held on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) records. Of the remainder, around six per cent of vehicles are in the motor trade, where a vehicle may legitimately have no registered keeper. Information on potentially falsified keeper data is not readily available as the DVLA will only become aware of alleged incidents of this when it is identified through customer contact, third-party notification, or enforcement activity.