HL Deb 11 November 1997 vol 583 c19WA
The Earl of Haddington

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer given by the Baroness Hayman on 30 October (WA 265–6), in relation to new vehicle designs, or changes to vehicle designs or components, whether they will introduce requirements for (a) kit and replica car manufacturers to apply for single vehicle approval under the Motor Vehicle (Approval) Regulations 1996 before supplying such vehicles or components for sale to the public; and (b) the components manufactured by such manufacturers to comply with a manufacturing standard or other existing approval.

Baroness Hayman

A system of single vehicle approval for kit and replica cars has already been provided for under the Motor Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 1996. When these enter fully into effect, each kit and replica car will need to be inspected and approved individually before it is registered and used on the road, whether it is similar to a previous kit or replica car, or whether it is a new design.

It is already an offence under Section 76 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to supply defective or unsuitable vehicle parts. The standards for vehicle parts are, in turn, prescribed in the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 and the Road Vehicles (Lighting) Regulations 1989. These regulations include the standards required for vehicles subject to Single Vehicle Approval.

The Earl of Haddington

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer given by the Baroness Hayman on 30 October (WA 265-6), whether it is the case that some kit cars and replica cars were advertised prior to 30 October 1997 as "SVA tested", "SVA compliant" or "guaranteed to pass the SVA test- when the cars in question had not at that date received single vehicle approval; and, if so, what action they will take to prevent such advertisements from appearing in future.

Baroness Hayman

We are aware of only one instance where a vehicle was declared in a published document to have been SVA-tested when it had not been examined by the Vehicle Inspectorate. The publisher of the document was informed and took corrective action. Because Single Vehicle Approval requires each example to be tested individually, it is not possible to pass judgment on claims about compliance with the SVA standards until a vehicle has undergone the examination; we shall make this clear if such claims are drawn to our attention.