Special Vehicle Excise Duty: Mobile Cranes

HL Deb 22 May 2000 vol 613 cc43-4WA

Earl Attlee

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the purpose for which a vehicle used for pumping concrete was originally designed is relevant in considering for what it is currently "designed and constructed". [HL2429]

Lord Whitty

Under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, mobiles cranes are classified as special vehicles and pay a rate of Vehicle Excise Duty of £165. Schedule 1, Paragraph 4(5) of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 states that a "mobile crane" means a vehicle which is designed and constructed as a mobile crane, and is only used on the public road in certain circumstances. Interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts, and the department's advice to vehicle keepers will reflect the courts' interpretation of the criteria in the legislation.