John Stewart MLA, the Ulster Unionist Infrastructure spokesperson, has called for action on the MoT backlog as motorists are being told the next date available as of this week is November 2023.

Mr Stewart MLA commented, ‘The MoT backlog has been no surprise to anyone. We have been facing these issues since January 2020 after inspections of lift faults in 48 out of 55 test centres discovered a lack of “sufficient assurance” on the effectiveness of ongoing repairs. This was followed by the closure of MoT centres during the Covid-19 pandemic. From January 2019 to January 2020, just under one million tests were carried out across Northern Ireland, but less than 200,000 tests were carried out the following year. A backlog was expected during this timeframe, but despite a record 506,000 tests carried out between September 2022 and February 2023, there are still extensive delays in MoT inspections.

The MoT test system is essential to uphold the public safety and roadworthiness of vehicles across Northern Ireland, but the backlog is now resulting in some members of the public facing untaxed vehicle fines from being unable to tax their vehicles due to not having an MoT test carried out.

Ulster Unionists call for a Temporary Exemption Certificate, which has been used at the height of the pandemic, to be reused again to allow backlogs to be cleared and fines to be appealed. This is yet another reason that supports the UUP’s call for the Assembly and Executive to be immediately restored and working for the benefit of the people in Northern Ireland.’