Year long MOT exemptions considered amid backlog in Northern Ireland testing

Temporary MOT exemptions being considered to address the testing backlog in Northern Ireland could be valid for a year, the Infrastructure Minister has said. John O’Dowd also said while a move to biennial testing in the region may ultimately be required, he highlighted that the police, as well as the motor and insurance industries, were opposed to moving away from the need for annual MOTs. Mr O’Dowd was giving evidence to his Assembly scrutiny committee on Wednesday.

During the session at Parliament Buildings he was questioned on spiralling MOT waiting times that have left many motorists facing delays of several months before they secure a test. The chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) Jeremy Logan recently said a 72-day wait for a test is the new normal. Mr O’Dowd announced a number of measures designed to tackle the backlog in the Assembly on Monday and said several other options were being considered, such as temporary exemption certificates. On Wednesday he outlined further details on the potential exemption scheme, which was previously used during the Covid-19 pandemic. “The current legislation allows me to do it for six months in exceptional circumstances, and obviously Covid was exceptional circumstances, and you were able to roll it forward for a year, and you’d probably want to do it for a year because if you do it for six months you then have in the middle of the year a significant number of increases in your demand for MOT test, so I’m looking at the legislation to see how I most effectively use it to assist motorists in the time ahead,” he said. On the switch to a biennial testing regime, Mr O’Dowd said the concerns raised by police, the motor industry and insurance companies had to be factored in. “Those factors have to be taken into account, but I am looking at all options to ensure that we make the service available better to those who are waiting on an MOT,” he said. “It’s not a simple equation of ‘let’s move to two years’, but it may be necessary, it may be something we can do and I’ve asked officials to examine it closely.” 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. However, there were also 50,000 no-shows for test appointments in the same year, also the highest number on record. Mr O’Dowd has said demand for MOTs is increasing due to more cars of an age that require a test on the roads.

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