Davidson Review of the implementation of EU legislation final report

28th November 2006

MOT Tests Could Be Reduced

Lord Davidson QC today published his final report on the implementation of European legislation in the UK. It proposes action to cut the burden of regulation particularly in the areas of consumer sales, financial services, transport and waste - creating an estimated £670 million saving to business and consumers.

The review, commissioned by the Government as part of its better regulation agenda, concluded that over-implementation may not be as widespread in the UK as is sometimes claimed. However, there are areas in the stock of existing legislation where regulatory burdens due to gold-plating, double-banking and regulatory creep in the past have led to unnecessary regulatory burdens.

Lord Davidson QC said: 'In some cases, additions made during the transposition of European legislation provide benefits to business such as greater legal clarity and the streamlining of existing domestic legislation. However, there are examples where UK implementation could be less burdensome without harming the intended protection provided by the regulation. My proposals should enable business to compete more effectively. My hope is that they will also reduce the chance of unnecessary over-implementation in the future.'

Proposals to simplify existing legislation include:

MOT Tests - UK authorities should consult on reducing test frequency for passenger cars towards EU minimum requirements balanced against potential safety implications;

Fisheries - Proposed Marine Bill should be used to repeal outdated primary legislation and consolidate much of the rest;

Insurance Mediation - UK authorities should consult on removing the gold-plating by the end of 2007.

The report notes recent improvements in the way European law is brought into effect in the UK but calls for stronger measures to help prevent future over implementation. The proposals to ensure that the UK economy remains competitive include:

Departments should be required to justify maintaining existing national standards higher than the European minimum.

UK post-implementation reviews should be timed to allow departments to compare implementation with other Member States.

The Review received over 160 written responses from businesses and their representative bodies, government departments, academics, NGOs and others. Initial estimates suggest that the simplification recommendations will benefit UK businesses and the wider public by up to £240m and £430m respectively

The rport deals with wide range of matters but the MOT suggestions are -
MOT tests
13 The UK's MOT testing regime over-implements European requirements by imposing an annual roadworthiness test on cars that are three or more years old. The minimum European requirements are for a roadworthiness test to be carried out every other year on cars that are four or more years old. A number of EU Member States follow this approach. With 22 million vehicles tested annually in the UK, moving to the EU minimum would save motorists around £465 million per year in test fees. In addition, there would be cost savings in terms of inconvenience, time and paperwork. These cost savings to motorists would need to be balanced against potential consequences in terms of road safety and the impact on motorists' behaviour with regards to vehicle maintenance.

The report is available online at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/reviewing_regulation/davidson_review/