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MLA Culture Wars

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108,300 records match, page 3862 of 4332.

  4. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    I am very pleased to have tabled the motion, alongside my two colleagues Deborah Erskine and Keith Buchanan, on this very important and timely issue. I welcome the constructive debate in the Chamber today; many good and valid points have been made. I thank the Minister for his attendance today; it is appreciated. I…

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  5. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. The debate has been somewhat interesting, in that, before the Minister took to his feet to respond to it, we were able to read his remarks and see some of the things that he was going to accept. One was our amendment. That is welcome, but, as ever, the devil is in the detail,…

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  6. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    I thank the Minister for giving way. The point is that we are telling people to travel on roads to access an MOT appointment when their car may be unroadworthy, and that they may be doing that unwittingly. I will just say that there is nothing wrong with travelling to Enniskillen for a test appointment.

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  9. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    • Mr John O'Dowd SF
    • Private Members' Business
    • As a minister

    Before I enter the substantive debate, I say this to Members: yes, there was a press release prepared for the debate, but it was embargoed until 7.00 pm, so I do not know why it is in whatever media outlet it is in. I have asked my Department to follow that up, because I respect the Chamber, and, as would be expected,…

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  10. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    My comments will be short, as many of the points have been clearly stated. There is no doubt that the current MOT system is broken. That stems from COVID, which led to a huge backlog of vehicles that were not able to get MOTs. That has led to a broken system, with a broken computer system that either does not work…

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  11. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    I thank the Minister for joining us. I will start by following on from my colleague Peter McReynolds in acknowledging the great work that goes on by the staff. It has been acknowledged around the House that the staff in our MOT centres work in extremely challenging conditions that are not of their making. We have,…

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  14. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    I thank the Minister for being here and Members for their contributions to the debate so far. Some of my constituents have been employed at the vehicle testing centre in Larne and have raised concerns about the safety standards of the equipment, the health and safety issues that they have faced and the fact that, with…

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  15. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on this topic, and I appreciate the Minister's being in attendance to listen. In the previous mandate, we talked about having a 10-lane super-centre. That was talked about. I do not know whether that was or is a consideration. For years — as long as I can remember — waiting…

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  16. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    I just had a quick check on Twitter to see whether any of my comments would be out of date by the time that my speech has finished, but I was not able to find anything just yet, so I will proceed regardless. I support the motion, which gives voice to significant frustration and anger among the general public, who have…

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  17. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I came to hear the Minister respond to our motion in the Chamber. As I am sitting here, before the debate has even finished, news is breaking online of the proposals that the Minister is going to bring forward. It is really disappointing that it is the case that the…

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  18. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    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…

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  19. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    I thank the Member for giving way. This has been an interesting debate. Will the Member tell the House what private operator or garage here is able to facilitate a modern MOT test? Would regulations or legislation be needed to allow them to do that?

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  20. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    I thank the Member for letting me intervene. We know that there are issues elsewhere with some of those things, so has the Member thought about what we could do from a Northern Ireland perspective to circumnavigate some of those? We cannot stick our head in the sand and pretend that there are not issues in places such…

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  21. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    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.…

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  22. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    I welcome today's motion. Similar to other Members, I start my remarks by putting on record my gratitude to DVA staff, who have consistently gone above and beyond during periods of significant disruption and rising demand. As we have just heard, 1·15 million MOTs were carried out in the past year, which is a 25%…

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  23. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    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…

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  24. Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

    It might also help older people, like those in my constituency, who find driving long distances extremely difficult. When such people see that they need to travel from, for example, Newtownards to Enniskillen, they will decide that they are not going to go to the MOT test and will sit at home without a car.

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