Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Applications for tests

Applications for practical and unitary tests

21.—(1) An applicant wishing to take a practical or unitary test to be conducted by an examiner shall—

(a) apply for an appointment for such a test to the Department;

(b) provide the Department with such details relating to himself, the licence which he holds, the preferred location of the test, the nature of the test and the vehicle on which the test is to be taken as the Department may reasonably require; and

(c) pay such fee as is specified in regulation 22.

(2) Upon receipt of such details and such fee the Department shall make the arrangements necessary for the taking of the appropriate test.

(3) An applicant for whom an appointment is made as aforesaid in respect of a motor vehicle in any category may not apply for a further appointment for a practical or, as the case may be, a unitary test on a vehicle of the same class unless—

(a) the first appointment has been cancelled; or

(b) the test due on the first appointment does not take place for any reason other than cancellation; or

(c) he has kept the first appointment (whether or not the test is completed).

Fees in respect of tests

22.—(1) No fee shall be payable in respect of a practical or unitary test conducted by a person appointed under paragraphs (b), (c) or (d) of regulation 18(1).

(2) Subject to paragraph (4), the fee payable in respect of a practical or unitary test to be conducted by an examiner for a licence authorising the driving of a motor vehicle of a class included in a category or sub-category specified in column (1) of the table in Schedule 4 is the fee specified in relation to that category or sub-category in column (2).

(3) No fee is payable in respect of a test for a licence authorising only the driving of invalid carriages.

(4) Where an appointment for a practical test to commence during normal hours is cancelled by the Department and the appointment cannot reasonably be rearranged so that the test commences during normal hours, the applicant shall pay the fee prescribed for a test commencing during normal hours notwithstanding that it commences out of hours.

(5) For the purposes of this regulation and Schedule 4, a test commences—

(a) during normal hours if the time for which the test appointment is made is any time between 0830 hours and 1630 hours on a working day, and

(b) out of hours, if the time for which the test appointment is made is any other time.

Applications for theory tests

23.—(1) An applicant wishing to take a theory test to be conducted by an appointed person shall—

(a) apply for an appointment to that person;

(b) provide that person with such details relating to himself, the licence which he holds, the preferred location of the test, and the nature of the test to be taken as he may reasonably require; and

(c) pay the fee specified in regulation 24.

(2) An applicant for whom an appointment is made as aforesaid in respect of any category of motor vehicle may not apply for a further appointment for a theory test in respect of the same category unless—

(a) the first appointment has been cancelled;

(b) the test due on the first appointment does not take place for any reason other than cancellation; or

(c) he has kept the first appointment (whether or not the test is completed).

Fees for theory tests

24.  The fee payable for a theory test to be conducted by an appointed person in respect of any category of motor vehicle shall be £16·50 and is payable to the Department.

Cancellation of tests

25.  For the purposes of Article 8(b) of the Order (which Article specifies the cases in which a fee paid on an application for an appointment for a test may be repaid) notice cancelling an appointment—

(a) for a practical or unitary test to be conducted by an examiner must be given to the Department not less than 3 clear working days before the day for which the appointment is made;

(b) for a theory test to be conducted by an appointed person must be given not less than 3 clear working days before the day for which the appointment is made.