Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Goods Vehicles (Authorisation of International Journeys) (Fees) Regulations 1996 and shall come into force on 22nd February 1996.

Interpretation

2. In these Regulations:-

"the ECMT Council" means the Council of Ministers of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport;

"ECMT licence" means a licence granted pursuant to the scheme adopted by Resolution No. 26 of the ECMT Council of 14th June 1973(2);

"Ecopoints" means Ecopoints issued pursuant to Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3637/92(3) on a system of distribution of Rights of Transit (Ecopoints) for heavy goods vehicles with a laden weight of over 7.5 tonnes registered in a Member State transiting through Austria;

"journey permit" means a permit issued pursuant to an agreement or arrangement mentioned in column 1 of Schedule 1 to these Regulations under the provision or one of the provisions of the agreement or arrangement mentioned opposite thereto in column 2 of that Schedule and providing for a number of outward and inward journeys stated in the permit;

"period permit" means a permit issued pursuant to an agreement or arrangement mentioned in column 1 of Schedule 1 to these Regulations under the provision or one of the provisions of the agreement or arrangement mentioned opposite thereto in column 2 of that Schedule and providing for an unlimited number of journeys during a period stated in the permit;

"removals authorisation" means an authorisation for removals carriage carried out by undertakings having special staff and equipment for the purpose granted in accordance with Resolution No. 53 of the ECMT Council of 29th and 30th May 1985(4) amending Resolution No. 44 of that Council of 1st June 1978(5) concerning the regulations governing international transport by road and the liberalisation of certain types of such transport; and

"special permit" means a permit issued pursuant to article 9(2) of the Agreement dated 22nd January 1988 between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(6) concerning international road transport, for the use of a vehicle for the carriage of goods between a place in the territory of a Republic of the former Soviet Union and a place in a country or territory which is the territory neither of a Republic of the former Soviet Union nor of the United Kingdom.

Fees

3.-(1) The fee payable on the issue of an ECMT licence shall be-

(a)£40 if it is valid for a period of one year, or

(b)if it is valid for a period of less than one year, a fee at the rate of £10 for each period for which it is valid being-

(i)a complete period of three months; or

(ii)a period of less than three months following any complete period of three months covered by the licence; or

(iii)a period of less than three months which is not followed by a complete period of three months covered by the licence.

(2) The fee payable on the issue of Ecopoints covering one journey, whether outward or inward, in respect of which they are issued shall be £1.

(3) The fee payable on the issue of a journey permit shall be-

(a)£2 if the permit covers one outward and inward journey, or

(b)if the permit covers more than one outward and inward journey, a fee at the rate of £1 per outward or inward journey covered by the permit.

(4) The fee payable on the issue of a period permit shall be-

(a)£20 if it is valid for a period of one year, or

(b)if it is valid for a period of less than one year, a fee at the rate of £5 for each period for which it is valid being-

(i)a complete period of three months; or

(ii)a period of less than three months following any complete period of three months covered by the permit; or

(iii)a period of less than three months which is not followed by a complete period of three months covered by the permit.

(5) The fee payable on the issue of a removals authorisation shall be £5.

(6) The fee payable on the issue of a special permit shall be £2.

(7) All fees received under these Regulations shall be paid into the Consolidated Fund.

Revocation

4. The Regulations specified in Schedule 2 to these Regulations are hereby revoked.

Regulation 2

SCHEDULE 1

In this Schedule, "Her Majesty's Government" means the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Regulation 4

SCHEDULE 2REVOCATIONS

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations consolidate, with amendments, the Goods Vehicles (Authorisation of International Journeys) (Fees) Regulations 1983 ("the 1983 Regulations") with the Regulations amending them as listed in Schedule 2.

The Regualtions prescribe the fees to be paid for the issue of documents authorising the operation of goods vehicles on journeys between the United Kingdom and-

(a)other member countries of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, and

(b)certain states with whom bilateral agreements or arrangements have been concluded.

These same fees were previously charged under the 1983 Regulations.

The Regulations also prescribe, in regulation 3(2), a new fee of £1 payable on the issue to the operator of a heavy goods vehicle of Ecopoints pursuant to Council Regualtion (EEC) No. 3637/92 (OJ No. L373, 21.12.1992, p. 1) introducing a system for the distribution of rights of transit ("Ecopoints") through Austria for heavy goods vehicles with a laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes registered in a member State.

The Ecopoints system was created by an Agreement concluded on 30th November 1992 and taking effect on 1st January 1993 between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Austria on the transit of goods by road and rail ("the Transit Agreement") (OJ No. L373, 21.12.1992, p. 6). Under the Transit Agreement the number of Ecopoints required by a road vehicle if it is to travel through Austria is determined according to the level of nitrogen oxide which it emits. The prescribed fee is payable for the issue of Ecopoints covering one journey through Austria, whether outward or inward.

Other changes made by the Regulations are the deletion of references to international agreements and arrangements and Community instruments which are spent or no longer require permits for the carriage of goods by road, and the addition of references to recent international agreements which require such permits.

ECMT publications may be obtained from the OECD Publications Service, 2, rue André Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France.