Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that a "cherished" number registration system, for standard vehicles and vintage vehicles where a range of registration numbers are made available for sale is not provided for in vehicle registration tax legislation.

However, Section 131 (5A) of the Finance Act 1992 entitles a person to reserve an unallocated registration number in the standard format prescribed in Statutory Instrument No. 318 of 1992 (as amended) (e.g. 76-D-12345) on the payment of a fee of €315. A person who wishes to reserve a registration number may do so by applying to the Central Vehicle Office in Rosslare, Co. Wexford. The reservation of a particular registration number does not entitle the owner of a vehicle to display the number on the vehicle until such time as the reserved number has been reached in sequence and is formally assigned at the time of registration.

The Deputy may also wish to note that for vintage vehicles, a second registration-numbering system is available — the ZV series (e.g. ZV 12345). An individual who wishes to opt for this numbering system may also reserve an unallocated number in the sequence on the payment of a fee of €315. However, because of the small number of vintage cars being imported it may take a long time to reach a particular reserved number in the sequence.

There are no plans to introduce a cherished number registration system for standard or vintage vehicles.