Debate contribution: MOT Test Waiting Times

Debate contribution by Mr John O'Dowd on 30 April 2024.

MLA: Mr John O'Dowd
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 30 April 2024
Type: Debate contribution (made as a minister)
Business: Ministerial Statements
Heading: MOT Test Waiting Times
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 4486862

Text

My apologies to the House for the statement's not being available on time. I can only assume that the error occurred because we have a shortage of staff in the office this morning. I apologise again to the House.
In compliance with section 52 of the NI Act 1998, I wish to make a statement regarding proposals to help reduce the current waiting times for MOT testing. At the Assembly debate on 11 March, I listened carefully to all Members and let them know that I had asked officials to urgently consider a range of policy options to reduce MOT waiting times and that I would make a statement after Easter. I have considered the policy options that have been presented by my officials, and I am now in a position to provide you with an update on the further measures that I am introducing to reduce current MOT waiting times. Before I do, it is worth noting the context in which the proposals are being brought forward. In each of the past two years, the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) has conducted over 1·1 million vehicle tests, which is the highest number ever recorded. That increase has been achieved through a range of measures, including the recruitment of additional examiners, the use of overtime to provide cover for leave and offering vehicle testing appointments on Sundays and bank holidays. In 2023, there were only seven days on which the DVA did not offer MOT appointments. Despite that, waiting times for MOT tests remained unacceptably long, and that demand is increasing each year. The DVA is investing in new test centres. The construction of the first new test centre in almost 50 years at Hydebank has been completed, and the DVA is going through the rigorous process of testing the newly installed equipment and software. Hydebank has already opened for driver testing, and I expect it to open to vehicle testing later this year, but I stress that that cannot happen until my officials and I are satisfied that the new equipment is safe to use and meets the requirements that are set out in the contract specification. A second new test centre at Mallusk is expected to open in late 2025. Once fully operational, each centre will have the capacity to deliver over 100,000 vehicle tests per year. While those are positive developments that will help the DVA meet the future demand for vehicle testing, they will not reduce MOT waiting times in the short term. I recognise that the current demand for vehicle testing means that many customers cannot secure a MOT appointment before their current certificate expires. I appreciate the frustration and anxiety that that causes to our citizens, and I know that all of us are regularly contacted by constituents who raise similar concerns. I am, therefore, announcing my intention to issue temporary exemption certificates (TECs) from 1 June for a specified range of private cars. Under current legislation, the Department has powers in exceptional circumstances to issue TECs exempting relevant vehicles from testing requirements. They were used previously during the COVID pandemic. I am satisfied that the delay in the construction and opening of Hydebank test centre, the challenges that are associated with the recruitment and retention of vehicle examiners in the past few years and the ongoing increase in demand for vehicle testing meet the definition of exceptional circumstances. Therefore, I have decided to introduce TECs for a limited period in order to relieve the pressure on the system and help reduce the waiting times. Having considered potential demand and future capacity, the DVA plans to introduce exemption certificates for private cars that were first registered within the following date ranges and that have a valid MOT certificate in place: those first registered between 1 June 2019 and 31 May 2020, which will be five-year-old cars; and those first registered between 1 June 2017 and 31 May 2018, which will be seven-year-old cars. Vehicle licensing information shows that around 115,000 cars may be eligible for a TEC. DVA information also shows that 96% of five-year-old cars and 91% of seven-year-old cars pass their MOT the first time. Those date ranges have been selected carefully, with road safety very much in mind, and I am satisfied that this decision strikes the right balance between managing waiting times and the impact on road safety. One of the best ways to ensure safety on our roads and fulfil our long-term goal for eliminating death and serious injury by 2050 is by changing road-user behaviour. As road users, we all have a personal responsibility to behave in a way that keeps us and others safe. The sad reality is that, if we do not change our attitudes when using the roads, our death toll will continue to increase. Road-user behaviour extends to maintaining our cars. Vehicle owners, it is worth remembering that it is your legal responsibility to ensure that your car is always kept in a roadworthy condition. That is also the expectation of the police and insurers, and that does not change whether an MOT is in place or not. You should regularly service your vehicle and carry out basic checks, such as ensuring that all lights are working properly, tyres are correctly inflated and tread depths are legal. When it comes to the implementation of TECs, the DVA will apply those automatically to eligible private cars. The vehicle licensing record will be updated to enable cars issued with a TEC to be taxed. Customers will not need to do anything, as the process will be automatic. For eligible private cars that have an MOT appointment booked, the DVA will cancel the booking, refund the fee and automatically extend the MOT certificate by 12 months from the expiry date of the current MOT. That process will be implemented from late May onwards, and I ask owners to be patient while the DVA implements those arrangements. The DVA booking system will prevent anyone with a car that is eligible for a TEC from making an MOT appointment, and the system will advise them of the reasons. More detailed information will soon be available on the nidirect website, and social media messaging has been developed to direct customers to the relevant information. MOT reminder letters will continue to be issued as usual to all other customers with other vehicles, and customers should book an MOT appointment in the normal manner. If those customers already have an appointment, they must continue to get their cars MOT'd, as they will not be issued with a TEC. While some early gains will be seen in waiting times, the position is expected to gradually improve over the TEC period. I am confident that that will provide relief for many of our customers, whether or not they are covered by a TEC. In a few weeks, a number of appointments will be released that are no longer needed for those private cars that will have a TEC instead. The DVA will closely monitor the demand for vehicle testing during the period in which TECs are applied, and any further information to extend, reduce or remove their use will be brought forward on a timely basis. The DVA has consulted the PSNI and the Association of British Insurers (ABI), both of which understand the need to introduce measures to reduce waiting times. Both organisations have also confirmed that they will continue to apply the mitigations that are currently in place for their customers who cannot secure an MOT appointment before their current certificate expires. The DVA will also work with other partners, including the PSNI, to develop mitigations to protect road safety, such as conducting additional roadside safety checks. I now move to biennial testing. The Assembly debate in March also raised the option of biennial MOT tests to address the current waiting times. Our existing legislation does not allow that, and any change would therefore require primary legislation, which could not be done quickly. MOT waiting times can be expected to already be reducing by the time biennial testing could be introduced. I can confirm, however, that I am minded to consider that issue further and have therefore asked my officials to provide me with advice on launching a consultation on biennial testing. I will need to consider the resources and time frame that that will require and weigh it against other priorities and the budget and staffing available.
I will provide an update when I have reached conclusions on those matters.
I reiterate my commitment to reducing MOT waiting times. The introduction of TECs is intended to be a short-term measure to reset the balance, enabling all customers to access the service in a more timely manner whilst the new test centres become fully operational and provide the additional infrastructure capacity to meet the increasing demand for the service.
I thank the Chair for her questions. A bit of quick maths suggests that it is around 10% of vehicles being taken out of the system at this stage to free up appointments, so that will have a significant impact on waiting times and will allow more customers to get a timely MOT. I do not see temporary exemption certificates as being a long-term solution but as part of a plan to bring us to where the long-term solution is. The long-term solution will be opening the two new test centres and recruiting more examiners. We have been quite successful in that recently. We have brought in around 47 new recruits and are opening up the application process again to recruit more. That will be part of the long-term solution. When I publish the consultation process, we will have to decide collectively whether biennial testing is part of the long-term solution.

1,628 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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