Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

Debate contribution by Mr Mark Durkan on 11 March 2024.

MLA

Mr Mark Durkan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

11 March 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

MOT Testing: Backlog

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4270173

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Vehicle testing is a topic that is always guaranteed to spark debate. Bizarrely, it seems to stoke a greater furore than access to healthcare or the bit-by-bit dismantling of our welfare system. I have received more messages ahead of this debate than I did on school uniform costs or tackling health waiting lists. I suppose that that is down to the frustration that is being caused by the current process, and the chances are that if you own a vehicle, you have been affected by these issues. The new normal of a 72-day wait has been bandied about — that is for the lucky ones — but it is not normal. Just last night, I received an email from a constituent who had been trying for weeks to get an MOT appointment for their elderly mother's vehicle but has finally had to settle for one in Enniskillen, many miles away, and five months away as well. The current system is proving stressful and time-consuming and is forcing people to take time off work to travel further afield for appointments. These problems are not new, and while there are several, they have been compounded by a multitude of issues, be it cracks, COVID, the cost-of-living crisis or wider global economic issues. While significant effort and investment is being made to increase capacity, problems persist. Since 2009, Northern Ireland has consistently had more private light-goods vehicles, pro rata, than Great Britain. We are a more car-dependent population, which is problematic in itself. That having been said, it is clear that the number of cars on our roads is growing year-on-year and that the required infrastructure — be that our road network or, in this instance, MOT testing centres — cannot and is not keeping up. Staff are working at full pelt, trying to get as many appointments through the doors as possible. Each year, the DVA is conducting record-breaking numbers of vehicle tests. Like the proposer of the motion, I place on record our appreciation of the additional work that they have undertaken, particularly over these past few years. Despite workers' Herculean efforts, the waiting lists remain too long.

Doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results is insanity. We need government to at least try to do things differently. Over the weekend, the Minister ruled out the use of private garages, and, while I share the Minister's view on privatisation, I urge him not to jump to any decisions until he listens to all the arguments that are put forward. It is evident that major change is needed, even on a temporary basis, to tackle lengthy delays, and, on that note, I propose the SDLP amendment calling for public consultation on biennial testing for vehicles under 10 years old. Two years ago, DFI was to consult publicly on biennial testing, but that has not happened. As Mrs Erskine said, there was overwhelming support for the move in summary findings published in February 2022 following a call for evidence issued by the then Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon. The next step was to be public consultation on specific proposals. The wheels were in motion, but at the Committee last Thursday, we learned that it seems someone has put their foot on the brakes. Can the Minister clarify whether he knows why the Department seems to have U-turned on this issue? If this measure were introduced even temporarily, it would help massively to clear the current backlog. I am aware that there were dissenting voices from the automotive industry opposing two-year testing on safety grounds, and, of course, no one in here would wish to do anything that would compromise safety. However, the extent to which vehicle roadworthiness is involved as a primary or even contributing factor in collision causation is relatively minuscule. The bulk of road traffic collisions here are as a result of driver distraction or excessive speeding, and, according to the police figures for 2022, vehicle defects were cited as a causation factor for just 1·2% of all collisions. Moving to a two-year cycle could act as a pressure release valve to allow the completion of the new testing centres and an assessment of new testing capacity. Cars over 10 years old could continue to be subject to annual inspection, given their higher risk profile. We believe this to be a constructive and relatively easily implemented proposal that will provide immediate relief to staff and motorists alike, but at least let us have the conversation. I hope that Members across the Assembly will support us in this call. Solving these problems requires new thinking. DVA continues to promote the new testing centres at Hydebank and Mallusk as its great white hope of a fail-safe solution. Notably — again, as the proposer of the motion said; we had not been comparing notes beforehand — there has been no recognition of need west of the Bann, despite the heavier reliance on private vehicles as a result of poorer connectivity and access to public transport in this locality. That having been said, I cannot accept that investment in these continually delayed projects will prove to be a panacea. Many questions remain unanswered. We have heard that DVA staff are conducting more tests than ever before, so how will these new centres be able to meet demand? Will staff vacancies be filled by staff redeployed from elsewhere? Will this result in a knock-on impact that will see the closure of other existing test centres?

How will those centres effectively improve capacity if we cannot recruit and retain the workforce that is needed to run them? It is short-sighted to throw more money at an issue without a comprehensive plan, but, hey, that is the way this place rolls. Furthermore, is it envisaged that those centres will facilitate the introduction of diesel emissions testing? It would be remiss of me to not mention the DVA's 17-year failure to comply with that legal requirement. It is the subject of ongoing legal action, so the Minister will be curtailed in what he can say about it, but it is unacceptable in anyone's book that that serious failing has been allowed to continue and compromise air quality and public health as well as the natural environment. The Executive need to live up to their environmental obligations, never mind their aspirations. Action on the big issues is one thing, but there seems to be a general reluctance or recalcitrance to embrace even apparently simple solutions or improvements, such as earlier notification that an MOT test is due. Reminder letters are issued six weeks prior to an MOT expiry date, yet the online booking system permits customers to book for three months in advance. At last week's Committee meeting, it was inferred that issuing earlier reminders would place an even greater demand on the online booking system. I — I was not alone among Committee members — tend to disagree and am of the view that affording more time would allow motorists to plan and would save people from scrambling at the eleventh hour. It could also help to reduce the extraordinarily and unacceptably high number of no-shows.

Certainly.

I fully concur with that point. There are those, not just older people, who dread the use of the virtual highway to navigate the appointment system in the first place, let alone having to travel distances that are unacceptable and intimidating for those who are not used to them. Lastly, the challenges with testing infrastructure, including hairline cracks on hydraulic equipment, could present serious logistical problems. Action is needed now to combat any fallout and further pressure on the system down the line. The MOT process, in its current form, is not working. It is clear that a resolution requires a cocktail of measures from putting in more resources and recruiting more staff to potentially introducing biennial testing. I ask the Minister and his Department to employ new thinking. We need to drive change, not stunt it.

1,329 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:52 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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