§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to allow an increase in the number of personal imports of motor vehicles from outwith the EU. [57938]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonA public consultation began on 14 October about proposals to alter the existing arrangements for importing cars and light goods vehicles that have not been type-approved in the EU. We propose to tighten the personal import rules, so that only individuals who have lived abroad for at least 12 months, and have used the vehicle there for at least six months, will be able to use the current Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) inspection. For other non type-approved imports, we propose an end to the fixed limits on the number of vehicles of any one model that may enter service, coupled with an enhanced SVA inspection of the key safety, security and environmental standards that have to be met before the vehicle can be licensed and registered. These enhanced standards are broadly equivalent to EU type-approval but can still be applied at reasonable cost. The proposed measures are designed to improve the choice of vehicles available to consumers, whilst maintaining the safety and environmental standards appropriate for use in Britain.