Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 section 32

Sections 29 to 31C: supplementary

Section 32 provides supplementary rules on how courts enforce penalties for using, keeping, or being the registered keeper of an unlicensed vehicle under sections 29 to 31C.

• Where a court grants a discharge or probation order for an offence of using or keeping an unlicensed vehicle (section 29) or being the registered keeper of an unlicensed vehicle (section 31A), the person is still treated as having been convicted for the purposes of the penalty and additional liability provisions.
• The additional liability imposed under section 30 (back-duty for the period a vehicle was unlicensed) is subject to the general rules on fines in magistrates' courts and courts of summary jurisdiction, except that the court has no discretion over the amount.
• Any sum ordered to be paid under section 30 is treated as a fine for enforcement purposes throughout the United Kingdom, meaning it can be recovered using the same mechanisms courts use to collect ordinary fines.
• Separate but equivalent enforcement provisions apply in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, each referring to the relevant local legislation governing recovery of court-imposed fines.