TIME RUNNING OUT FOR DEALERS' VOICES TO BE HEARD

As highlighted by our columnist The Sprocket in the most recent issue of Service Dealer magazine, the Government has been running an open consultation on the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill.

Time is now running out for dealers and industry members to have their voices heard on the subject, with the deadline for contributions being 11:59pm on 13 July 2023.

The Government says the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill was introduced to prevent the theft of machinery and equipment used by the agricultural sector, in particular quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). The bill allows for the requirements to be extended to other equipment via secondary legislation.

In the recent column The Sprocket said of the Bill, "For the UK to be considering an aftermarket modification that could affect the operating systems of equipment is an incredible nonsense when it could contravene existing legislation."

In the introduction to the request for feedback, the Government says, "The aim of this call for evidence is to consult on technical details for secondary legislation such as the specifications for immobilisers and forensic marking, as well as extending the bill’s requirements to other large agricultural equipment and power tools.

"We are seeking views on a number of detailed matters associated with the potential extension to the scope of the bill. The responses we receive will inform proposals for secondary legislation."

The call for evidence aims to seek views on:

• the definition of ATVs and agricultural equipment
• a requirement for removable Global Positioning Service (GPS) systems to be forensically marked
• the Recommended Retail Price (RRP) threshold of tools to be marked
• specifications of immobilisers, and any implications for type approval
• specifications for forensic markings
• specifications for registration on databases

The Government says they want to hear from:

• dealers
• manufacturers
• retailers
• forensic marking companies
• trade associations
• tradespeople
• law enforcement practitioners

Contribute to the call for evidence before midnight Thursday July 13th 2023 here.