17Requirement of registration for registration plate suppliers
(1)Any person who carries on business as a registration plate supplier in England or Wales without being registered by the Secretary of State shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
(2)For the purposes of this Part a person carries on business as a registration plate supplier if he—
(a)carries on a business which consists wholly or partly in selling registration plates; and
(b)is not an exempt person.
(3)The Secretary of State may by regulations provide for—
(a)activities of a prescribed description to be treated for the purposes of this Part as not being activities which consist in selling registration plates;
(b)persons of a prescribed description to be exempt persons for the purposes of this Part.
(4)In this Part “registered” means registered in accordance with the provisions of this Part in a register established and maintained by the Secretary of State under section 18; and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.