To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail the status of the priority vehicle contact phoneline for MOTs.

In respect of a DVA contact phone line for MOTs, 93.4% of all MOT bookings are made online through the DVA’s new booking system. MOT bookings and queries can also be made by telephone through NI Direct’s call centre by calling 0300 200 7862.

From Monday 26 July 2021, the DVA reinstated normal vehicle test times, which has increased vehicle testing capacity across the network of test centres. From 1 September to 31 December 2021, the DVA conducted 264,540 full vehicle tests, which is 8% more than the five-year average for those months.

As of 8 February 2022, the DVA has confirmed that there are over 58,500 vehicle test appointments available across its network of centres up to 31 May 2022.

The DVA is currently experiencing significant demand for vehicle testing services and in some cases customers may not be able to have their vehicles tested before their current MOT certificate expires. In such cases, customers must book the earliest available test appointment for their vehicle, which may mean travelling to another test centre instead of their preferred location.

The DVA’s advice to customers who require an MOT to tax their vehicle and cannot secure a date before the MOT expires or have been advised by their insurer that they will not be covered if their vehicle does not have a valid MOT certificate is:

• book the earliest available appointment;

• keep checking the booking system for an appointment before their MOT expires.

If they get to within five days of the expiry date of their tax and they have been unable to secure an MOT appointment or your tax has expired, contact dva.customerservices@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk and the DVA will do their best to secure an urgent appointment for their vehicle. To date, all customers who have contacted the DVA in these circumstances have been offered an earlier appointment slot.

This advice is available on the NI Direct website and is also included as an insert with every MOT Reminder Letter issued to our customers.

The DVA have confirmed that any customer requiring an MOT to tax their vehicle will be given priority.