To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail (i) actions taken to increase capacity at MOT centres; and (ii) current capacity compared to the situation prior to (a) the pandemic; and (b) the lift faults issue.

There has been a gradual resumption of MOT services from 1 June 2020, when the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) resumed Individual Vehicle Approval testing.

From 20 July, the Driver and Vehicle Agency resumed MOT testing, at all test centres, for priority vehicle groups, including those vehicles that are not able to avail of a Temporary Exemption Certificate (TEC). This includes taxis and buses due a first time test, vehicles not previously registered in Northern Ireland, vehicles whose MOTs have expired by more than 12 months that includes vehicles previously declared SORN and those sold by car dealerships.

From 1 September, MOT testing for four year old cars and motorbikes and three year old light goods vehicles also resumed and for those vehicles in this category that currently have a 6 month TEC, they will be called for test when their TEC expires. In addition, the DVA recommenced testing of heavy goods vehicles, trailers and buses.

TECs will continue to be automatically generated from DVA’s system for all eligible vehicles that the DVA does not have the capacity to test at this time.

The current capacity for vehicle testing is approximately 30% in comparison with levels prior to the pandemic and the lift issues. To meet increasing demand, the DVA is in the process of recruiting additional examiners and will also use overtime to provide additional capacity and cover for vehicle tests, if due to a variety of unforeseen reasons such as sick absence or the requirement to self-isolate, examiners are unable to attend work.

Like all public facing services, the Covid-19 restrictions mean that the DVA has had to adapt its services to ensure that they can be provided safely and they would ask customers for their patience at this difficult time. Vehicle testing capacity will increase as restrictions ease and risk assessments are updated until such times as normal service delivery resumes.

It is my priority to ensure that our staff and customers remain safe and the DVA will continue to be guided by the latest public health and scientific advice as we work as quickly as we can to serve all our customers.