AQW 904/17-22

Mr Andrew Muir
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 23/01/2020
Answered On Date: 30/01/2020
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on (i) faults identified on car lifts at Armagh Vehicle Test Centre; (ii) the number of appointments cancelled at vehicle test centres as a result of similar faults; and (iii) her assessment on the impact on customers obtaining an MOT appointment.

Answer:

The health and safety of all staff and customers visiting MOT centres is my first priority. In ensuring their safety, there has been disruption to services and inconvenience caused to customers due to a fault identified with vehicle lifts in MOT centres, including the Armagh test centre.

This situation has led to around 10,680 tests being cancelled across the network of 15 test centres from Tuesday 21 to Tuesday 28 January. During this period, DVA has continued to conduct over 17,000 vehicle tests.

I am very mindful of the impact this disruption is having on the public and their working and daily lives. On Friday 24 January, I instructed the DVA to begin issuing Temporary Exemption Certificates (TECs) as soon as practically possible. TECs are being issued to those customers who have expired MOTs as a result of the DVA cancelling their tests. The exemptions will apply for four months, allowing DVA customers to continue to go about their daily lives without further disruption. However four year old cars cannot get a TEC because they do not have an MOT to extend and the legislation does not permit the DVA to issue TECs for taxis. Therefore the heavy duty lanes are being used to prioritise taxis, 4 year old car customers and car dealership as well as testing heavy goods vehicles and buses.

I have also instructed DVA to pay the maximum amount of compensation that is permissible under the relevant legislation. All customers who have their test cancelled by the DVA will receive a free retest and a refund of half of the cost of the test.