The coming into force and expiry of discs
11.—(1) A disc shall not come into force more than a month after it is issued.
(2) A disc shall expire—
(a)if paragraph (3) applies to the disc, at the end of the 1 year period of the relevant licence in which the disc comes into force;
(b)in any other case, at the end of the 5 year period of the relevant licence in which the disc comes into force.
(3) This paragraph applies—
(a)to a disc which comes into force during the first 5 year period of the relevant licence if and only if a notice of election is in force immediately before the licence is granted; and
(b)to a disc which comes into force during any other 5 year period of the relevant licence if and only if a notice of election is in force immediately before the beginning of the period.
(4) For the purposes of this regulation a notice of election, in relation to a licence, is a notice in which the holder states (or stated when he was applying for the licence) that he wishes to pay the fee for the issue of any disc connected with the licence on an annual basis.
(5) A notice of election shall come into force on the day on which the holder serves it on the traffic commissioner and shall remain in force until revoked in accordance with paragraph (6).
(6) The holder of a licence may not earlier than 42 days before the end of a 5 year period of the relevant licence serve a notice on the traffic commissioner revoking a notice of election.
(7) Paragraph (3) of regulation 5 shall apply to the service of a notice under this regulation as it applies to service of a notice under that paragraph.
(8) For the purposes of this regulation, “relevant licence”, in relation to a disc, means the licence in respect of which the disc is issued.
(9) For the purposes of this regulation, the 1 year periods of a licence, are—
(a)the period of 1 year beginning with the first day of the month in which the relevant licence comes into force; and
(b)each consecutive period of 1 year.
(10) For the purposes of this regulation, the 5 year periods of a licence, are—
(a)the period of 5 years beginning with the first day of the month in which the relevant licence comes into force; and
(b)each consecutive period of 5 years.
(11) Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this regulation, paragraph (2)(a) shall not apply to a disc unless at the time the disc is issued a provision in regulations under the 1981 Act is in force which prescribes different fees for the issue of a disc according to whether paragraph (3) does or does not apply.