Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

Debate contribution by Mr John Stewart on 11 March 2024.

MLA

Mr John Stewart

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

11 March 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

MOT Testing: Backlog

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4270194

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank those who tabled the motion and the amendment, and let me say at the outset that the Ulster Unionist Party will support both. As all those who have spoken so far have mentioned, this issue is massive in terms of the amount of frustrated correspondence that we get from our constituents, including by telephone. It has gone from frustration to fury for many of them as they continue to seek an MOT in a timely fashion. The big question that they ask is, "How can it be so difficult?". I have said before, including at the Committee last week, that the waiting time in the rest of the United Kingdom for an appointment is measured in hours or in a day or two, but here it is measured in months. We heard last week that the wait is 72 days on average. Anyone who tries to get on to the system today will see that not even one appointment is available. Last week, people were told that the first appointment would be in August but that they could not book it because it was too far ahead. That frustration has grown to fury, and people just want to know that a solution will be found and that we are working tirelessly to find it. I look forward to hearing the Minister tell us what that solution will be. Some people are trying pitch this as a battle between those who are suggesting alternatives and those who want to retain the status quo. It is being pitched as a battle between public-sector workers and privatisation. That is not the case. I have said on record, as has every Member here, that the workers on our 15 sites work tirelessly around the clock, 15 hours a day, seven days a week, to do 1·1 million MOTs. However, that is not enough, because the backlog continues. There are more cars on the roads year on year. Unless someone in here can invent a nine-day week, the current system will not resolve the backlog, even with the proposed changes and the new sites at Hydebank and Mallusk. That is why we need alternatives. We should not rule them out but engage and look at what could be done. At last week's Infrastructure Committee meeting, I suggested that we correspond with a number of people in dealerships to see whether they could do the MOTs but not privately. They send tens of thousands of cars each year to MOT prior to selling them, maintain them for five years through servicing them and, when they are due for the MOT, get it done through the existing sites and then they go into the private market for sale. If those dealerships could use their on-site facilities to take a chunk of the MOT out of the system, that could be a game changer. I have spoken to many dealerships, as, I am sure, has the Minister, and I know that they have the technology and are ready and waiting to do that work. Others would say that the dealerships would cooperate out of self-interest: I do not agree. They are trusted to service the cars for five years, and, when the cars are sold, they come with a warranty. It would be in their interests to prepare and maintain the cars.

I thank the Member for her intervention. We have heard that point. Northern Ireland is a small place, and we all know the mechanics who work on our cars. I can tell you now that, if anybody was at their work, within a day, it would be all over social media that they were taking the hand out of people. I truly believe that. That is why people should scrutinise what goes on. Ultimately, we still need our cars to go to a mechanic for MOT prep anyway. The proposal that I am making is not to go to privatisation; it is about keeping the existing system with the workers who are running to stand still while, at the very least, letting the dealerships that have the technology and tools in place operate a system under licensing. We should even just consult on the matter.

I am happy to come back on that. I have spoken to a number of the big dealerships. I do not want to name them here, but I am sure that I can put the Member in contact with them, or we could bring them before the Committee. The Member asked whether they have the technology in place. If they did not have it, they would be more than happy to bring it in. Obviously, we would need to change regulations, because current legislation strictly guides how we do MOTs here. All that I ask for is a scoping exercise to see what is possible. Everything needs to be on the table. The Member made that point earlier. We need to look at every option, because just doing what we have always done will give us the same results. If we continue to see more cars on the roads and keep the current system, I do not see how anything will change. A couple of other points were raised. There is a massive impact on the digital highway of our system. Mechanics have told me that the number of people for whom they make bookings and from whom they take cash is going up, because some people do not have debit cards or access to the internet. We need flexibility in that. We have heard much about the 50,000-plus people who do not turn up for their appointment. Again, that is frustrating. We appeal to anybody listening to do more to avoid that. However, we need to see a more flexible approach to cancellations. You cannot amend your booking less than, I think, 48 hours beforehand. The ability to transfer that to somebody who needs an appointment should be an option. Much has been made of the tax issue. Last month, I spoke to a constituent whose car was three or four days beyond its MOT certificate, and, subsequently, their tax expired. They needed their car for work and drove to Belfast, where they were clamped, through no fault of their own, by the tax enforcement office. That is simply unacceptable, but it happens more and more. I appreciate that, if you contact the Department, you will get an appointment urgently. However, it can still take a few days, and it may mean driving to the far side of the country. It is not ideal. Another issue arising from the delays is that people are not able to avail themselves of roadside assistance. Like I say, I support the motion and the amendment. I look forward to hearing from the Minister.

1,132 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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