Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

Debate contribution by Mr Keith Buchanan on 11 March 2024.

MLA

Mr Keith Buchanan

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

11 March 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

MOT Testing: Backlog

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4270206

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the motion. This is a timely opportunity for the House to recognise the problems that constituents across Northern Ireland experience in obtaining MOTs. It affects not only private vehicle owners but those in the car business, including second-hand car dealers and dealerships. The crisis in MOT testing is nothing new, but it is now worse. Prior to the pandemic, there were already delays due to problems with MOT tests in Northern Ireland. MOTs were first suspended in January 2020 due to safety concerns about the equipment being used during tests when cracks were found in 52 of the 55 lifts at testing sites. What evidence can the Minister give that there is now no backlog directly related to COVID or the previous lift issues? It is time for the DVA, the Department and the Minister to provide a step change or public confidence will continue to wane. Action and accountability must be the foundation of the Minister's actions from this point onwards. New hairline cracks have appeared in equipment across DVA testing centres. Have lessons not been learnt? The Department and the DVA should ensure that all equipment is fit for purpose. There should be adequate warranty and support from manufacturers to ensure that the equipment purchased is not affected such a short time after replacement. Is a contingency plan in place to ensure continuity in access to service if there is any damage or lift issues in the future? During the inspection of and repairs to any lifts with cracks, will all centres remain operational? On a weekly basis, my office takes calls from private owners who are trying to access an MOT for their vehicle. Frustration is growing, as many are not able to get tests until July or August this year. Many are not internet-savvy, so they cannot use it to book or change their appointment. The phone line is also extremely busy. Those people are becoming increasingly frustrated, as they cannot rely on a good public transport system and, therefore, need their vehicle to carry on with their daily life. That is the case even more in rural areas of Northern Ireland. I appreciate that there has been a slight increase in the number of vehicle tests in recent years, but, as with all businesses, the DVA and the Department should anticipate an increase in business. They should have in place a contingency plan and ensure that they have adequate capacity to respond to increasing needs. Another common complaint I hear is that reminders about an upcoming MOT are being not sent, as stated by other Members. The whole system of reminder letters and bookings is not working. Sometimes motorists obtain a date that is so far in advance of their date of booking that they forget the date and time, leading to the number of no-shows that was discussed earlier. Will the Minister commit to looking at the issue of reminder letters in a timely manner? Also, some in the second-hand motor trade have contacted me directly. Some businesses sell between 30 and 40 cars a month, and they find it difficult to obtain MOTs in a timely manner. Think of the difficulty of booking one test for a private individual, then multiply that by 30 in one month. One business owner told me that it is a full-time job getting appointments and driving all over the country when they eventually get a test booked. Why do businesses such as second-hand dealers not have the same options as taxi drivers to access MOTs? Like taxi drivers, second-hand car dealers and dealerships require access to timely MOT appointments. Their livelihoods and jobs depend on sales, and any delay can affect not just the owner of the business but their employees, buyers and the local economy. Businesses cannot be expected to travel the length and breadth of Northern Ireland to access MOTs for the vehicles they are trying to sell. Indeed, individuals have spoken about — I think other Members referred to this — the expense, the lost productivity and time and the environmental impacts of travelling back and forth across Northern Ireland.

Second-hand dealers experience the pain of trying to register a previously registered GB car on the system in Northern Ireland. That is the case for anybody in the trade who is bringing GB cars across. Registration, I understand, is done via a phone system. Dealers then have to navigate getting MOTs for those vehicles that they bring in from the mainland. Is the Minister content that capacity is operating as it should? In a briefing to the Committee, it was indicated that over 1·1 million car MOTs were carried out between 2022 and 2023. Are the 15 centres staffed to the correct levels to achieve maximum output, and will the additional new centres be able to attract the correct staffing levels to achieve their possible output figures? How has the current time of 20 minutes to test a vehicle been arrived at? Is it required? Can it be reduced? I refer Members to some recent figures. As Mrs Erskine previously mentioned, of the 15 test centres, two thirds were operating at reduced capacity from January 2019 to January 2024. Yes, overall capacity has been increased from 82,184 to 83,755 tests, but, at the Armagh test centre, for example, a total of 4,447 tests is now down to 3,600. Coleraine, previously at 5,800 tests, is at 5,300. As I said, two thirds of the test centres are operating at reduced capacity, although total capacity is up by 1,000, so I now ask the Minister —.

I hope that the Minister, in his remarks, will provide a solution for the general public and those businesses that depend on MOT centres.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

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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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