Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

Debate contribution by Mr Danny Baker on 11 March 2024.

MLA: Mr Danny Baker
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 11 March 2024
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: MOT Testing: Backlog
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 4270187

Text

It is vital that the MOT backlog is addressed and that people are able to get their vehicles tested in a shorter time frame. Many people have been left frustrated when trying to get their vehicles tested since 2019, when cracks were found in 48 of the 55 vehicle lifts across the North. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused further delays. My office, like the offices of many other MLAs, is dealing with complaints and has advised constituents on the best way to access an MOT test. Many constituents worry about being penalised because they do not have their MOT in time. It is worth stating that the PSNI has agreed that drivers whose MOT has expired will not be penalised provided that their vehicle is roadworthy, does not have an off-road notification declaration and is insured and a test appointment has been booked. The lack of an MOT certificate will not necessarily invalidate your insurance, but it is important to check with your insurer. Many of my elderly constituents have needed help with the online booking system, especially if they needed an emergency MOT test because their tax was running out. My office has been more than happy to help in those situations, and we have managed to get constituents emergency appointments. At the Committee last week, we heard from the DVA that it had conducted nearly 1·2 million vehicle tests last year, the highest number ever recorded. Last year, there were only seven days on which the DVA did not offer MOT appointments. The increase in capacity was achieved through a range of measures, including the recruitment of additional vehicle examiners, the use of overtime to provide cover for leave and offering vehicle test appointments on Sundays and bank holidays when testing was not normally available. I thank staff, who have been working hard since the backlog began, as well as during COVID, to tackle the challenges that people face in getting MOT appointments. We also heard in the Committee that further recruitment went live in February to fill the staff vacancies across the DVA's network of test centres. Meanwhile, the plan for the new test centre at Hydebank in Belfast is nearing completion. The construction contract for the second new test centre in Mallusk has been awarded, and that new test centre is expected to be open in 2025. The DVA highlighted its frustration that the number of vehicles that failed to attend a booking appointment in 2022-23 was the highest on record, at over 50,000. That is nearly a month's worth of bookings. While measures have been taken to increase capacity and tackle backlogs and the effort by the DVA staff must be commended, it is clear that the backlog still frustrates drivers and learner drivers across the North. My office will continue to support constituents who are struggling to get a booking, particularly those in need of an emergency appointment to get their vehicle taxed. I hope that the new sites and the recruitment will go some way to reducing people's frustrations and that they will help with the backlogs and waiting times across the North.

522 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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