Covid-19: MoT testing to resume at full capacity in July

Vehicle testing has been disrupted by equipment failures and the pandemic

Full testing for all vehicles in Northern Ireland is set to resume on 26 July, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has said.

The current 25-minute MoT test slot is to return to its normal 20 minutes.

Temporary Exemption Certificates (TECs), issued to enable motorists to stay on the road, are to be extended to help manage the transition.

Certificates were first issued in January last year after cracks were detected in some testing centre lifts.

Thousands of tests were subsequently cancelled, creating a large backlog.

More TECs were issued as test centres closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Two million MoT exemptions issued by NI DVA

• MoT centres to become coronavirus test facilities

• MoT tests on cars suspended with immediate effect

The certificates extend a previous MoT test and mean motorists can continue to legally driving their cars.

They were initially issued for three, four or six months, but were later extended to cover 12 months.

Vehicle testing has only been allowed if it could be done safely and within social distancing requirements, meaning the number of tests carried out was greatly reduced.

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said road safety was "a significant priority"

The infrastructure minister said the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) "has worked hard to increase its vehicle testing capacity" but has been working at reduced capacity to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

Ms Mallon said TECs for private cars, light goods vehicles and motorcycles aged between four and nine years will receive a one-month extension, while newer vehicles are to receive an extension of five months.

The minister said car owners will not be sent a hard copy TEC, but that it will be applied automatically on its system.

She said the new measures would be "kept under ongoing review" depending on the course of the pandemic, but road safety remained "a significant priority".

"I would like to remind owners and drivers of all vehicles that they are responsible under the law for the roadworthiness of their vehicle at all times," she said, adding that motorists should continue to service their vehicle and regularly carry out basic checks.

On Wednesday, DVA official Pat Delaney told a Stormont committee the average waiting time for an MoT across Northern Ireland's test centre network is "around about 25 days".