Northern Ireland announces MOT revisions

A one-year temporary MOT exemption for certain private cars has been announced in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd has announced that one-year temporary exemption certificates (TECs) have been introduced for private cars first registered between 1 June 2019 and 21 May 2020 and for those registered between 1 June 2017 and 31 May 2018 with valid MOT certificates.

The TECs will come into effect from 1 June and automatically processed by the Driver and Vehicle Agency.

It has also been announced that a consultation into biennial MOTs is being considered.

Sue Robinson, chief executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association, said: “NFDA-NI is disappointed with the Infrastructure Minister’s announcement to introduce one-year temporary exemption certificates. Whilst NFDA-NI acknowledges the intention of the Minister to assist consumers, we strongly believe this does not address the core capacity issue driving the MOT backlog. Instead, this move will only delay the implementation of a solution even further.

“This announcement will prove detrimental to the safety of vehicles in Northern Ireland as well as its roads and is not the solution to tackling the backlog. We urge the Infrastructure Minister and the department to engage in discussions with key industry stakeholders aimed at improving the current MOT regime.”