3.—(1) The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001(1) are amended as follows.
(2) In regulation 2(1) (interpretation: general)(2)—
(a)for the definition of “agricultural machine” substitute—
““agricultural machine” means a vehicle which is an agricultural tractor, an off-road tractor, a light agricultural vehicle, an agricultural engine or a mowing machine;”;
(b)after the definition of “agricultural machine” insert—
““agricultural tractor” means a tractor used on public roads solely for—
purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry,
cutting verges bordering public roads, or
cutting hedges or trees bordering public roads or bordering verges which border public roads;”;
(c)for the definition of “EEA State” substitute ““EEA State” has the meaning given by Schedule 1 to the Interpretation Act 1978(3)”;
(d)before the definition of “motor cycle” insert—
““light agricultural vehicle” means a vehicle which—
has a revenue weight(4) not exceeding 1,000 kilograms,
is designed and constructed so as to seat only the driver,
is designed and constructed primarily for use otherwise than on roads, and
is used solely for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry;”;
(e)after the definition of “motor tricycle” insert—
““off-road tractor” means a tractor which is not an agricultural tractor and which—
is designed and constructed primarily for use otherwise than on roads, and
is incapable by reason of its construction of exceeding a speed of twenty five miles per hour on the level under its own power;”.
(3) In regulation 4 (interpretation of Part II), omit the definition of “relevant type-approval directive”.
(4) In regulation 5(3) (fixing of rear registration plates: vehicles registered on or after the relevant date), for “the relevant type-approval directive, whether or not it is” substitute “EU law in force at the time of construction as regards the space to be provided for the fixing of the rear registration plate, whether or not it was”.
(5) In regulation 5(3) (fixing of rear registration plates: vehicles registered on or after the relevant date), after “EU law” insert “, or retained EU law,”.
(6) In regulation 9(3) (lighting of rear registration plates), for “the relevant type-approval directive, whether or not it is” substitute “EU law in force at the time of construction as regards the rear registration plate lamp, whether or not it was”.
(7) In regulation 9(3) (lighting of rear registration plates), after “EU law” insert “, or retained EU law,”.
4.—(1) The Vehicles Crime (Registration of Registration Plate Suppliers) Regulations 2008(5) are amended as follows.
(2) In regulation 2 (interpretation), for the definition of “registration certificate” substitute—
““registration certificate” means the document issued in accordance with EU law which certifies that a vehicle is registered in a member State;”.
5.—(1) Council Regulation (EC) 2411/98 of 3 November 1998, on the recognition in intra-Community traffic of the distinguishing sign of the member State in which motor vehicles and their trailers are registered, is amended as follows.
(2) In Article 1, for “Community” substitute “United Kingdom”.
(3) For Article 2(2) substitute—
“2. “vehicle” means any power-driven vehicle, including its trailer if any, which is normally used for:
carrying persons or goods by road, or
for drawing on the road vehicles used for the carriage of persons or goods,
but does not include vehicles, such as agricultural or forestry tractors, which are only incidentally used for such purposes, vehicles which run on rails or mobile machinery.”.
(4) For Article 3 substitute—
The United Kingdom shall recognise the distinguishing sign of the Member State of registration displayed on the extreme left of the registration plate of a vehicle in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation as being equivalent to any other distinguishing sign that it recognises for the purpose of identifying the State in which the vehicle is registered.”.
(5) Omit Article 4.
(6) In the words after Article 4, omit “This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States”.
Regulation 2(1) has been amended but none of the amendments are relevant.
The definition of “EEA State” was inserted into the Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30) by the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 (c. 51), section 26(1). The definition is prospectively repealed and replaced by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (c. 16), Schedule 8, paragraph 22(c) and (e).
“Revenue weight” is defined in section 60A of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994.