§ Mr. Garel-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now announce his decision on the future vehicle registration number system when the current series has been completed in 1983.
§ Mr. David HowellI have been pleased by the very full response to the consultation which began in 1980. Some ingenious ideas were put forward, but the majority of the motoring public and the motor trade overwhelmingly wanted a simple system which would minimise the cost of change. They favoured straightforward reversal of the present format, that is a single letter, three figures then three letters instead of the present lay-out. Such an arrangement would also be acceptable to the police, and I have accordingly decided to accept this advice and reverse the present format in 1983.
I am arranging for my officials to consider with the motor trade two issues which remain unresolved. The first concerns the choice of August as the month in which the year letter changes. It causes problems for some 291W organisations, as did January before the months was changed in 1967. The second concerns the question of whether the present age letter is appropriate for all vehicles, particularly imported used vehicles and rebuilt vehicles. In both these cases, the year letter identifies the date of registration rather than the age of the vehicle, and this can cause confusion. I shall announce my decisions on these two points later.