MOT appointment crisis: Stormont considers temporary exemption certificates and biennial tests in bid to cut waits

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd made the announcement in the assembly as MLAs called for action to address the situation where some motorists are waiting until August for a test date.

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine proposed a motion to the assembly to “stress the importance of fair and timely access to vehicle testing across Northern Ireland”, and “believes it is unacceptable that many motorists are facing lengthy delays to secure an MOT appointment”.

The motion also called on the minister to “bring forward an ambitious and costed plan to tackle the backlog in tests, cut waiting times, deal with ‘no shows’ and ensure fairer access for those who are currently disadvantaged as soon as possible”.

The motion was passed as well as an SDLP amendment calling for a consultation on biennial testing.

Speaking in the chamber, Ms Erskine said the motion was of importance to “thousands of people in Northern Ireland at this time”.

She said the current system is no longer fit for purpose and is due for an overhaul.

She quoted chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), Jeremy Logan who recently said a 72-day wait for a test is the new normal, adding “it shouldn’t be and we shouldn’t accept that”.

Ms Erskine said she appreciated the work of those who carry out the tests, but said there must be measures to address the issues.

Responding, Mr O’Dowd said he recognised the frustration felt by motorists waiting for a test and said he agreed that they should have fair and timely access to vehicle testing.

He said in 2022/2023, the DVA conducted more than 1.5 million vehicle tests, the highest number ever recorded in a year, by offering appointments around the week and on bank holidays.

But he said there were 50,000 no-shows for test appointments in the same year, also the highest number on record.

He said demand for MOT tests is increasing due to more cars of an age that require an MOT test on the roads.

Mr O’Dowd outlined a number of measures to tackle waiting lists and said he was also exploring other options.

He also said that the planned opening of new MOT test centres in Hydebank and Mallusk will provide extra testing capacity for 200,000 vehicles per year.

Among those measures to be considered included the introduction of temporary exemption certificates and proposals to consult on testing every two years.

“The DVA currently has 55 MOT examiner vacancies across its network of test centres, it has received 133 applications in its recent vehicle examiner recruitment competition,” he said.

“It is anticipated that successful candidates will begin to be posted to test centres from early June and this will provide additional capacity for vehicle testing across their network of test centres.

“I have asked the DVA to release additional appointments for these new recruits as soon as possible.

“In addition, anyone who cannot secure an appointment before their tax expires, or their tax has already expired, have been advised to contact the DVA customer services team for an urgent MOT appointment.

“The DVA currently asks customers to contact them within five days of their tax expiry date, but I can confirm that, with immediate effect, the DVA is extending this window to 10 days.”