Clause 20 - Cancellation of registration by the Secretary of State
Vehicles (Crime) Bill
6:00 pm
Mr Keith Hill (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions; Streatham, Labour)
The clause provides that the Secretary of State may cancel a registration if he is satisfied that the business has ceased trading as a registration plates supplier for at least 28 days, and the amendment would extend the period to 60 days—eight weeks and four days. The Government consider 28 days to be sufficient. It ought also to be borne in mind that this is not a punitive measure but only a means of ensuring that the register is kept up to date. I refer to the remarks made by the hon. Member for Eastleigh and reiterate that unless the register is kept up to date, it will not be possible to supply the police, members of the trade and the public with the necessary information. It is vital, if the audit trail is to be sustained, to ensure that the register is intact and up to date.