Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 and they come into force on 1st April 2012.

Amendment of Regulations

2. The Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) Regulations 1988(3) are amended as follows.

Manner of making application for first examinations or periodical tests, and fees

3. In paragraph (3) of regulation 12, for the Table substitute-

Fees for re-tests

4. In paragraph (1) of regulation 16, for the Table substitute-

Further amendments relating to fees

5. In the regulations specified in column (1) of the following Table, for each amount specified in column 2 substitute the amount specified in column (3).

6. In regulation 34(2A), for the words "£27 in the case of a motor vehicle and £27 in the case of a trailer", substitute "£26 in respect of a motor vehicle or a trailer".

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) Regulations 1988 ("the 1988 Regulations"). Regulations 3 to 6 amend most of the fees prescribed by the 1988 Regulations.

Regulation 3 changes the fee payable on an application for a first examination or periodical test. Table 1 shows fee changes where the first examination or periodical test is carried out at a vehicle testing station provided by the Secretary of State (with the percentage increase shown in brackets).

Table 2 shows fee changes where the first examination or periodical test is carried out, at the applicant's request, at a vehicle testing station not provided by the Secretary of State. These fees have been reduced (with the percentage decrease shown in brackets).

Regulation 4 changes the fee payable on an application for a re-test carried out within 14 days after the vehicle was submitted for its first examination or periodic test (regulation 16(1) and (3) of the 1988 Regulations). The new fees for re-tests carried out at a vehicle testing station provided by the Secretary of State are shown in Table 3 (with the percentage increase shown in brackets).

The new fees for re-tests carried out, at the applicant's request, at a vehicle testing station not provided by the Secretary of State are shown in Table 4. All but one of these fees have been reduced (with the percentage decrease, where applicable, shown in brackets).

The old fees shown in the above tables applied with effect from 1st April 2010.

Regulation 5 makes the following fee changes.

In regulation 25(4) of the 1988 Regulations, where an appeal is made to the Secretary of State by any person aggrieved by a determination made on a first examination, the accompanying fee is increased by 6.9% from £29 to £31. This fee also applies to an appeal relating to a periodical test by virtue of regulation 29(2) or, in either case, to a re-test and was last fixed with effect from 20th April 2009.

In regulation 34(1) of the 1988 Regulations, where there is a request for an amendment to a plating certificate following a notifiable alteration or for a re-examination where a particular contained in a plating certificate is or may be no longer applicable, the fee is increased by 3.7% from £27 to £28.

In regulation 37B(2) of the 1988 Regulations, the fee payable for the alteration of the plated weights (or any of the plated weights) for a vehicle without an examination is increased by 3.7% from £27 to £28. The old fees in relation to regulations 34(1) and (2A), and 37B were last fixed with effect from 1st April 2010.

The opportunity has been taken in regulation 6 to simplify regulation 34(2A) of the 1988 Regulations by introducing a single fee in relation to both motor vehicles and trailers. In that regulation, where there is a re-examination following a notifiable alteration or with a view to amendment of a plating certificate where the vehicle testing station is not one provided by the Secretary of State, the fee is decreased by 3.7% from £27 to £26.

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.