Commentary on Sections Part 3: Other Provisions Relating to Vehicle Crime Section 33: Vehicle Identity Checks
46.The main intention of this section is to require a compulsory vehicle identity check of any ‘written-off’, scrapped vehicle, prior to the issue of replacement registration documents to the vehicle keeper.
47.The purpose of the vehicle identity check is to help prevent a criminal from swapping the identity of a vehicle he has stolen with that of a written-off or scrapped vehicle ("ringing").
48.Section 33 inserts new regulation-making powers after section 22 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 (registration regulations).  They ensure that the Secretary of State:
	can refuse to issue a registration document in respect of a vehicle if he is not satisfied that the vehicle is the registered vehicle; and
	can make regulations to provide for the examination of vehicles for the purpose of ascertaining whether they are the registered vehicles.
49.Section 33 also ensures that the vehicle identity check regime can apply to the issue of new registration documents in place of surrendered documents.