To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, pursuant to AQW 29290/17-22, whether any further consideration has been given to providing motorists with increased advance notice to book their MOT test, in light of the ongoing backlog.

Pursuant to AQW 29290/17-22 and AQW 30994/17-22, Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) officials continue to monitor the Covid situation and will make a decision on when to increase the reminder notification period from six to seven weeks when they are satisfied that it has reached a more manageable position for certainty of staffing levels.

The DVA has steadily increased its vehicle testing capacity to pre-Covid levels by adopting a range of measures including the recruitment of additional vehicle examiners, the use of overtime to provide cover for leave and by offering vehicle test appointments on a Sunday and bank holidays, when testing is not normally available. To minimise late cancellations due to the non-availability of staff, the DVA is offering more short notice appointments to ensure testing can be delivered when staffing availability is confirmed. This is allowing many customers to bring their MOT appointments forward, as new appointment slots are released.

The DVA continues to experience 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 releases vehicle test appointments on a daily basis and customers are encouraged to regularly check the booking system as they may be able to change their existing appointment to a different test centre and time if a slot becomes available.

The DVA’s advice to vehicle owners who require an MOT to tax their vehicle and cannot secure a date before their MOT expires is to:

book the earliest available appointment; and

keep checking the booking system for an earlier appointment.

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

The latest information on MOTs is available on NI Direct at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/book-view-change-or-cancel-mot-vehicle-test and is also included as an advice note with every MOT Reminder Letter issued to their customers.