20Issue etc. of vehicle registration marks by motor dealers
(1)The Minister may by regulations make such provision as he considers appropriate with respect to the allocation of registration marks for vehicles to motor dealers who apply for such allocations and appear to the Minister suitable to receive them and with respect to the assigning of the marks to vehicles by motor dealers.
(2)Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) of this section, regulations under this section may include provision—
(a)as to the mode of application for the allocation of registration marks;
(b)as to the transfer of registration marks allocated to a motor dealer in cases where the dealer dies or becomes incapacitated or bankrupt and in such other cases as may be prescribed ; and
(c)subject to section 21(2) of this Act, as to the cancellation of allocations of registration marks.
(3)Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) of this section, regulations under this section may also include provision for—
(a)restricting the circumstances in which a motor dealer may assign a registration mark to a vehicle;
(b)securing that registration marks allocated to a dealer are assigned by him in such sequence as the Minister considers appropriate and that no registration mark is assigned to a vehicle to which such a mark has already been assigned;
(c)requiring a motor dealer to furnish the Minister within the prescribed period with the prescribed particulars in respect of each vehicle to which the dealer assigns a registration mark; and
(d)providing that a person who contravenes or fails to comply with any specified provision of the regulations shall be guilty of an offence under this Act.
(4)A registration mark assigned to a vehicle in pursuance of this section shall be deemed to be assigned to it under section 13 of the Act of 1962.
(5)Where particulars in respect of a vehicle are furnished to the Minister in pursuance of this section before the Minister first issues a vehicle licence for the vehicle, the Minister shall register the vehicle in accordance with the said section 13 on receiving the particulars instead of on the first issue of a licence and shall not be required to assign a registration mark to the vehicle ; and for the purposes of section 4(1) of the [1967 c. 70.] Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 1967 (under which the period after which a test certificate is required for a vehicle used before being registered in accordance with the said section 13 is calculated by reference to the vehicle's date of manufacture) any use of a vehicle before it is so registered and after a mark is assigned to it in pursuance of this section shall be disregarded.