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Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2005 No. 270

ROAD TRAFFIC AND VEHICLES

The Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Made

20th May 2005

Coming into operation

2nd July 2005

The Department of the Environment, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 55(1) and 110(2) of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1995(1), Articles 66(1) and 218(1) of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981(2) and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 and shall come into operation on 2nd July 2005.

Amendment of the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995

2.  For regulation 41(2)(b) (bodywork) of the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995(3) there shall be substituted –

(b)the partition mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) shall extend from the floor to the roof of the vehicle and if a sliding window is fitted the maximum width of the opening shall not exceed 11.5 centimetres;

(bb)there shall be an effective means of communication between the passenger and the driver;.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of the Environment on 20th May 2005.

L.S.

Wesley Shannon

A senior officer of the

Department of the Environment

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 so as to require every vehicle licensed for public hire in the City of Belfast to have an effective means of communication between the passenger and the driver and where there is a sliding window fitted in the partition between the driver’s seat and the passengers' compartment, the maximum width of the window opening shall not exceed 11.5 centimetres.

(1)

S.I. 1995/2994 (N.I. 18); see Article 2(2) for the definition of “the Department”

(2)

S.I. 1981/154 (N.I. 1); see Article 2(2) for the definition of “prescribed”

(3)

S.R. 1995 No. 447 to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations