Local motorists could face six-month wait for MoT appointments

FRUSTRATED local motorists looking to book their MoTs face waiting around six months for the earliest appointments at the two test centres in Tyrone.

Last Friday afternoon, a check of the online booking system for MoTs in the North revealed that the first available dates in both Omagh and Cookstown were in October.

With drivers needing a valid certificate in order to tax their vehicles, those with expiring certificates are being urged to book emergency appointments due to the ongoing backlog.

The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) recently launched an online form allowing people to request an urgent MoT test to accommodate those whose tax has expired or is due to expire within the next ten days.

West Tyrone MP, Órfhlaith Begley MP, claimed that many of her constituents had been issued with fines for not taxing their vehicle, even though it was a result of the lack of available MoT appointments.

Ms Begley said, “This has been deeply frustrating for people and I have challenged these decisions by DVA who have shown no flexibility or a willingness to recognise that the cause is the current backlog in the MoT system.

“There has been a major capacity issue for several years and this is a matter I have been raising consistently with the DVA.”

The MP said she was pleased that Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd had sought to address the issue of MoT appointments since his appointment in February.

She said, “I understand that there are around 50 new examiners being recruited for MoT centres which will hopefully start alleviating this backlog during the summer and that other measures are also being considered such as temporary exemption certificates and extending testing to every two years.

“I would urge motorists to seek their MoT well in advance. However, if the tax on their vehicle is due to expire within ten days then they can request an urgent appointment by contacting DVA directly through a form on the NI Direct website.”