HC Deb 12 February 1997 vol 290 c178W
Mr. Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the subject of reforming the current vehicle licensing and registration system to(a) prevent fraud and (b) enable (i) stolen vehicles and (ii) owners and drivers to be traced. [15421]

Mr. Bowis

My Department maintains close contacts with representatives of the motor, finance, leasing, insurance and salvage industries and with the police with a view to developing ways in which the vehicle registration system can be better adapted to deter and detect vehicle fraud and other related crime.

Following wide consultation we shall shortly be introducing new arrangements for recording the transfer of vehicles and for the annual notification of unlicensed off-road vehicles. These measures will help to improve the accuracy of the vehicle record and facilitate the tracing of drivers and vehicles for enforcement purposes.

Mr. Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated of foreign initiatives on vehicle title and document fraud; and with what result. [15420]

Mr. Bowis

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency maintains a register of vehicle keepers as opposed to owners because it is the registered keeper with whom the agency and police are normally concerned for law enforcement, revenue collection and road safety purposes.

Accordingly, while the agency maintains close links with a number of foreign registration authorities, it has not commissioned specific research into initiatives on vehicle title and document fraud.