To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2008, Official Report, column 275W, on ports: automatic number plate recognition, whether there are any automatic number plate recognition systems in use at British ports; and whether any are configured to read foreign number plates. (206608)

I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 2 June 2008, Official Report, column 743W.

On the latter point, automatic number plate recognition is a well-established technology that allows vehicles observed by camera to have their registration mark ‘read’ using pattern recognition software. This technology has the ability to recognise the majority of foreign vehicle number plates. However, it is not possible to specify all the number plates that can or cannot be read as some countries' number plates contain unrecognisable characters.