Explanatory note

These Regulations further amend the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/2742) (“the 2002 Regulations”).

The Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 (“the 1994 Act”) provides for reduced rates of vehicle excise duty to be applicable to certain buses, haulage vehicles and heavy goods vehicles (“eligible vehicles”) which meet the reduced pollution requirements. Regulation 5 of, and Schedule 2 to, the 2002 Regulations prescribe the reduced pollution requirements for the purposes of the 1994 Act and provide for the issue of reduced pollution certificates where those requirements are shown to be satisfied.

The fees in relation to the determination of applications for reduced pollution certificates are prescribed in paragraph 13 of Schedule 2 to the 2002 Regulations and regulation 3 makes several amendments to that paragraph.

It provides that where an examination is undertaken to determine an application for a reduced pollution certificate in a specified case or for an eligible vehicle at the applicant’s request, and the examination is not carried out at the same time as an examination for other specified purposes, the fee in paragraph 13(1)(a) is increased from £32 to £34 (or by 6.3%). Where the examination is carried out at the same time as an examination for other specified purposes, the fee in paragraph 13(1)(b) is increased from £19 to £20 (or by 5.3%). These fees were last adjusted with effect from 3rd May 2009. Where the examinations mentioned above are carried out at premises not provided by the Secretary of State, paragraph 13(3) now provides that the fees are reduced by £2 and £1 respectively.

The definition of “out of hours” in paragraph 13(4) is also amended, so that normal hours on normal working days extend from 6.00 am to 8.00 pm.

New paragraph 13(5) makes clear that the “out of hours” provisions in paragraph 13(2), as well as the reductions mentioned in paragraph 13(3) and the definition of “out of hours” in paragraph 13(4), do not apply in Northern Ireland.

An impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business and the voluntary sector is available from the VOSA Corporate Office, Berkeley House, Croydon Street, Bristol BS5 0DA (telephone: 0117 954 3200). A copy has been placed in the library of each House of Parliament. The impact assessment is annexed to the Explanatory Memorandum which is available alongside the instrument on the website, www.legislation.gov.uk.