Road Traffic Act 1972

48 Supplementary provisions as to type approval and other certificates

(1) A type approval certificate may be issued subject to conditions with respect to—

(a) the inspection by officers of the Secretary of State of vehicles purporting to conform with the type vehicle in the relevant aspects of design, construction, equipment and marking and of parts of such vehicles and their equipment, and the entry of premises where they are manufactured, and

(b) the notification by the manufacturer of differences of design, construction, equipment or marking (other than permitted variations) between any such vehicles and the type vehicle which might affect the type approval requirements or the criteria for determining the design weights of those vehicles.

(2) The Secretary of State may by regulations require that prescribed alterations in any of the relevant aspects of design, construction, equipment or marking or any such aspect which affects the plated weight made to any vehicle for which a manufacturer's certificate or a Minister's approval certificate is issued shall, subject to any exemption granted under subsection (3) below, be notified to the Secretary of State.

(3) The Secretary of State may by notice in writing given to the manufacturer of goods vehicles or to the owner of a vehicle for which a Minister's approval certificate is issued—

(a) direct that any specified alteration in any of the said aspects to a vehicle to which the direction relates shall be notified to the Secretary of State ;

(b) exempt a vehicle to which the notice relates from all or any of the requirements of regulations under subsection (2) above, subject to compliance with any conditions specified in the notice.

(4) Without prejudice to the provisions of section 50 of this Act, the Secretary of State may by regulations require that a manufacturer's certificate or Minister's approval certificate issued for any vehicle shall specify the regulations if any applicable to the vehicle under subsection (2) above at the time of the issue of the certificate, any additional alteration to that vehicle required by any direction under subsection (3) above to be notified to the Secretary of State and any exemption applicable to that vehicle under that subsection.

(5) A manufacturer's certificate or Minister's approval certificate specifying any plated weights shall be treated for the purposes of the provisions of this Part of this Act and any regulations thereunder relating to plating certificates (except section 45(3) of this Act) as a plating certificate.

(6) If it appears to the Secretary of State that there has been a breach of a condition subject to which a type approval certificate has been granted or if he ceases to be satisfied as to any other matter relevant to a type approval certificate, he may cancel or suspend the certificate, but the cancellation or suspension shall not affect the validity of any manufacturer's certificate previously issued in consequence of the type approval certificate

(7) Where the Secretary of State cancels or suspends a certificate in pursuance of this section, he shall give a written notification of that fact to the holder of the certificate stating the grounds for the cancellation or suspension.