The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/2824) (“the principal regulations”) by—

(a) extending to holders of Community licences the right to drive, in specified circumstances, certain types of larger vehicle in respect of which they have not passed a test (regulation 7 and Schedule 1);

(b) extending to resident holders of Community licences who hold counterpart licences the right to drive certain categories of vehicle as provisional licence holders (regulations 12(1) and (3) and 21(5));

(c) providing for the theory test to be conducted either as a written test or using computer technology (regulation 23);

(d) imposing a new charge of £10 for each form of pass certificate for a practical or unitary driving test supplied to bus operators and other companies which are authorised to conduct tests of their own drivers (regulation 29);

(e) introducing a requirement that anyone applying to the Secretary of State for approval as a provider of approved training courses for motor cyclists (“CBT courses”) must be a fit and proper person to conduct those courses (regulation 34);

(f) requiring a person who has successfully undertaken a CBT course to retake it if he is disqualified by a court until he passes a driving test (regulation 41);

(g) removing the exemption from the requirement to undertake a CBT course enjoyed by a person who has passed a moped test since 1st December 1990 if he is disqualified by a court until he passes a driving test (regulation 42);

(h) introducing a revised syllabus for CBT courses (regulation 54 and Schedule 13);

(i) increasing the fees for practical and unitary driving tests (as specified below) and for the London taxi drivers' test (from £28.50 to £31) (regulation 51 and Schedule 2);

(j) modifying certain provisions of the principal regulations, in particular to clarify the status of a test prescribed in respect of a category of vehicle which is taken in a vehicle which is not prescribed as the minimum test vehicle for the entire category (in particular regulations 20, 26 and 27);

(k) modifying certain provisions of the principal regulations

• where they fail to give effect to stated policy and practice, and

• to correct the drafting.

(l) revoking regulations relating to heavy goods vehicle and public service vehicle licences which are now spent.

The fees payable in respect of tests from 1st April 1997 (with the percentage increase and the date of the last change shown in brackets) are:—

ORDINARY TESTS

Type of Vehicle	Tests commenced during normal hours	Tests commenced during evenings and weekends
Motor cycles and mopeds	£38 (5.5%, May 1995)	£50 (5.3%, May 1995)
Cars, tractors and minor categories	£31 (8.7%, May 1995)	£41 (6.5%, May 1995)
Cars with trailers, goods vehicles and passenger-carrying vehicles	£65 (4.8%, April 1994)	£83 (3.8%, April 1994)

EXTENDED TESTS

Type of vehicle	Test commenced during normal hours	Test commenced at weekends
Cars	£62 (8.8%, May 1995)	£82 (5.8%, July 1993)
Motor cycles	£76 (5.6%, May 1995)	£100 (5.3%, July 1993)