Road Traffic Act 1930

7 Provisions as to disqualifications and suspensions.

(1) Where a person who is disqualified by virtue of a conviction or order under this Part of this Act is the holder of a licence, the licence shall be suspended so long as the disqualification continues in force.

(2) A licence suspended by virtue of this Part of this Act shall during the time of suspension be of no effect.

(3) A person who by virtue of a conviction or order under this Part of this Act is disqualified for holding or obtaining a licence, may, at any time after the expiration of six months from the date of the conviction or order, and from time to time apply to the court before which he was convicted or by which the order was made to remove the disqualification, and on any such application the court may, as it thinks proper, having regard to the character of the person disqualified and his conduct subsequent to the conviction or order, the nature of the offence, and any other circumstances of the case, either by order remove the disqualification as from such date as may be specified in the order or refuse the application.

Provided that, where an application under this subsection is refused, a further application thereunder shall not be entertained if made within three months after the date of the refusal.

If the court orders a disqualification to be removed, the court shall cause particulars of the order to be endorsed on the licence, if any, previously held by the applicant and the court shall in any case have power to order the applicant to pay the whole or any part of the costs of the application.

(4) If any person who under the provisions of this Part of this Act is disqualified for holding or obtaining a licence applies for or obtains a licence while he is so disqualified, or if any such person while he is so disqualified drives a motor vehicle, or, if the disqualification is limited to the driving of a motor vehicle of a particular class or description, a motor vehicle of that class or description, on a road, that person shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or if the court think that, having regard to the special circumstances of the case, a fine would be an adequate punishment for the offence, to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds, or to both such imprisonment and such fine, and a licence obtained by any person disqualified as aforesaid shall be of no effect.

(5) Notwithstanding any enactment prescribing the time within which proceedings may be brought before a court of summary jurisdiction, proceedings for an offence under subsection (4) of this section may be brought—

(a) within a period of six months from the date of the commission of the alleged offence; or

(b) within a period which exceeds neither three months from the date on which it came to the knowledge of the prosecutor that the offence had been committed nor one year from the date of the commission of the offence;

whichever period is the longer.

(6) For the purposes of this section, references to orders and convictions under this Part of this Act include references to orders and convictions under the corresponding provisions of any enactment repealed by this Act.