To ask the Minister for Infrastructure how many cars are now untaxed as they have been unable to get an MOT appointment due to the backlog.

Vehicle Excise Duty (Motor Tax) is an excepted matter and is administered and enforced by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea on behalf of HM Treasury. The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) does not hold information on how many vehicles are now untaxed waiting on an MOT appointment. MLAs, acting on behalf of constituents, can contact the DVLA directly through a dedicated email address at DVLAMinisterials@dvla.gov.uk.

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.

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.