§ Mr. Garel-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will state the outcome of his review of the arrangements for the personal import of cars.
§ Mr. David HowellThere has been concern that the Government intend to restrict the current arrangements under which people importing a car which they have used abroad are exempt from our national type approval checks.
The Government will not consider any changes to the terms of that exemption until and unless arrangements are in place to ensure that type approval information is readily available to individuals and independent dealers and until 92W I am entirely satisfied that their operation does not impede the purchaser's choice of supply. But in the meanwhile there will be no changes.
My officials are, therefore, approaching the manufacturers and their accredited dealers to discuss how individual purchasers and independent dealers can be given prompt and ready access to the type approval information they need, and to which they have a right in international trading law. Once that information is generally available, it will be more convenient for purhasers to register individually imported cars in the normal way—that is, showing compliance with type approval—leaving the personal import exemption to people genuinely making a change of residence, for whom it was provided.