Debate contribution: MOT Waiting Times: Temporary Exemption Certificates
Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on .
- MLA
- Ms Liz Kimmins
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 4 March 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- MOT Waiting Times: Temporary Exemption Certificates
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4833274
Read the official Assembly record
Text
In each of the past three years, the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) has conducted over 1·1 million vehicle tests, which are the highest numbers ever recorded. In June last year, my predecessor, Minister O'Dowd, introduced temporary exemption certificates for five- and seven-year-old cars within specified date ranges. That measure, along with the high number of vehicle tests being conducted, means that the average waiting time for an MOT test has fallen from over 100 days at the end of May 2024 to approximately 30 days in February 2025. In 2024, there were only six days of the year on which the DVA did not offer MOT appointments. Disappointingly, on average, around 800 vehicle test appointments are missed each week due to no-shows, placing additional demand on the service. It is very important that, at this point, I offer my gratitude to all the staff in our MOT centres. Without the Trojan effort of those workers across the North, we would not see that reduction in waiting times. It has been very important. I know that all our constituency offices have been lobbied heavily on that issue.
187 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.72).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.72 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:05 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.