Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks)(Amendment) Regulations 2009 and shall come into force on 27th April 2009.

Amendment of the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001

2. The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001(2) are amended as follows.

Amendment of regulation 2

3. In regulation 2(1) (interpretation: general)-

(a) omit the definitions of the expressions "the Council Regulation" and "dual purpose plate";

(b) in the definition of the expression "registration plate", for the words following "vehicle" substitute–

", but does not include such part of a plate or device as is intended for the display of material specified in regulation 16(3) and (4);".

Amendment of regulation 16

4. For regulation 16 (international distinguishing signs and other material) substitute-

"16.–(1) No material other than a registration mark and material complying with the requirements of any of the relevant standards mentioned in Schedule 2 may be displayed on a registration plate.

(2) Subject to the following paragraphs of this regulation, a registration plate may not be combined with any other plate or a device of any kind.

(3) The letters "GB" may be displayed on a plate or other device in accordance with the Annex to Council Regulation (EC) No. 2411/98 on the recognition in intra-Community traffic of the distinguishing sign of the Member State in which motor vehicles and their trailers are registered(3).

(4) Subject to paragraphs (5) to (8), there may be displayed on a plate or other device an arrangement of letters corresponding with one of the sub-paragraphs of paragraph (9) and an emblem corresponding with one of the sub-paragraphs of paragraph (10).

(5) The arrangement of letters and emblem referred to in paragraph (4)–

(a) must be displayed to the left of the registration plate;

(b) must not encroach into the margin,

and for this purpose the expression "margin" is to have the same meaning as in regulations 14(9) and 14A(2)(f).

(6) The emblem referred to in paragraph (4) must be positioned above the arrangement of letters referred to in that paragraph.

(7) Neither the arrangement of letters referred to in paragraph (4), nor the emblem referred to in that paragraph, must be more than fifty millimetres wide.

(8) Paragraph (4) does not apply–

(a) if the letters "GB" are displayed in accordance with paragraph (3); or

(b) if the relevant vehicle is recorded in the part of the register relating to Northern Ireland.

(9) The arrangements of letters referred to in paragraph (4) are–

(a) "United Kingdom" or "UNITED KINGDOM";

(b) "UK";

(c) "Great Britain" or "GREAT BRITAIN";

(d) "GB";

(e) "England" or "ENGLAND";

(f) "Eng" or "ENG";

(g) "Scotland" or "SCOTLAND";

(h) "Sco" or "SCO";

(i) "Wales" or "WALES";

(j) "Cymru" or "CYMRU";

(k) "Cym" or "CYM".

(10) The emblems referred to in paragraph (4) are–

(a) an image of the Union flag;

(b) an image of the Cross of Saint George, as depicted on the flag of England;

(c) an image of the Cross of Saint Andrew (the Saltire), as depicted on the flag of Scotland;

(d) an image of the Red Dragon of Wales, as depicted on the flag of Wales."

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Under regulation 16 of the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 the international distinguishing sign of the United Kingdom may be displayed in the format stipulated in Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 (Official Journal L299, 10.11.98, p1) to the left of a registration plate attached to a vehicle registered in the UK. This format includes a representation of the flag of the European Union. Annex 4 of the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949 specifies that the letters "GB" are the distinctive letters for purposes of international traffic of vehicles registered in the United Kingdom.

These Regulations substitute new provisions for regulation 16 of the 2001 Regulations to allow alternative material to appear on a plate attached to a vehicle recorded in the part of the register relating to Great Britain. The driver of the vehicle or (where it is not being driven) its registered keeper may display letters denoting one of the constituent countries of Great Britain, Great Britain (as a whole) or the United Kingdom (as a whole), accompanied by an image of a national flag. Such display is permitted subject to conditions including those relating to placing and size.

These regulations were notified in draft to the European Commission in accordance with Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (Official Journal No L204, 21.7.98, p37), as amended by Directive 98/48/EC of the same institutions (Official Journal No L217, 5.8.98, p18), which lays down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations.

An impact assessment has not been produced, because no impact on the costs of business, the public sector, third sector organisations, regulators or consumers is foreseen.