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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES BY DEPUTY G.C.L. BAUDAINS OF ST. CLEMENT
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 21st JANUARY 2014
Question
Does a Jersey driving licence have to be produced to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Department when registering a used vehicle and, if not, how does the Minister justify maintaining Article 5(b)(iv) of the Motor Vehicle Registration (General Provisions) (Jersey) Order 1993, which requires a person seeking to register a new or imported vehicle to do so?
Answer
Verifying that the person registering a vehicle in Jersey for the first time is who they say they are, the address the vehicle is registered to is a legitimate address, insurance is in place and all due taxes are charged/paid by the appropriate person to the relevant authority, is all part of the registration process. In addition to the requirements set out in our legislation, there is an obligation on Jersey to meet the requirements set out in international treaties so that Jersey vehicles and drivers can circulate in Europe. It is also the case that at the outset, the enforcement authorities can be confident the vehicle owner can be identified and the vehicle is insured for use on our roads.
The vast majority of registrations are made by licence holders and the most straightforward document that can confirm a person's identity in the registration process is the driving licence, which provides a picture of the person, his/her date of birth and a sample of his/her signature. Prior to introduction of the photocard licence in 2007, the person's address was also on the driving licence. In the new driving licence system, while the address is not on the licence, it is held in the computerised driving licence system and so it is reasonably straightforward for staff at DVS to confirm the person's address.
Should it be the case that a local resident does not or cannot drive and so does not hold a driving licence but wishes to buy a vehicle for his/her use in Jersey, other evidence of identity and residence such as a the person's passport, which contains photograph and signature, and a utility bill, providing confirmation of address, would be accepted.
Once a vehicle is registered, there are requirements set out in the legislation should the owner change name or address, transfer or otherwise dispose of the vehicle. To date, we rely on owners to comply with the law. There is evidence that some owners do not comply with their obligations but with around 40,000 transfers and other registration transactions taking place each year, it is not feasible with the current resources to validate each transaction. By linking the registration and driving licence computer systems, it would be possible for suspect transactions to be highlighted and addressed. This is already being done in Guernsey, the UK and elsewhere in Europe, Jersey plans to do the same within the next system upgrade.