The Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003

Defences where a vehicle is unlicensed

6.—(1) There shall be inserted after regulation 26 within Part IV—

“Exceptions to section 31A

26A.— (1) The requirements prescribed for the purposes of the first condition in section 31B of the 1994 Act are whichever are applicable in the circumstances of the requirements specified in—

(a) regulation 20(5) (surrender or destruction of registration document for damaged vehicle), in so far as it requires surrender of the registration document,

(b) regulation 21(2)(b) (delivery of part of registration document to the Secretary of State),

(c) regulation 22(2)(b) (delivery of remainder of registration document to the Secretary of State),

(d) regulation 23(2) (notifying the Secretary of State when the transfer is to a vehicle trader),

(e) regulation 24(5) (vehicle trader notifying the Secretary of State of a transfer), and

(f) regulation 25(1)(a) (delivery of registration document and notification to the Secretary of State where the registration document was issued in Northern Ireland).

(2) The requirement prescribed for the purposes of the second condition in section 31B is the making of the required declaration and the furnishing of the prescribed particulars to the Secretary of State in accordance with Schedule 4.

(3) The requirement prescribed under subsection (6) of section 31B for the purposes of subsection (4)(c) (the third condition) is that before the expiry of 14 days beginning with the date on which the theft came to the knowledge of the registered keeper notification of the theft was given to—

(a) a member of a police force maintained for any police area in England and Wales or Scotland,

(b) a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, or

(c) a person employed to assist such a police force or that Police Service.

(4) The prescribed length of the period for the purpose of the fourth condition shall be 14 days.”.