New Northern Ireland MOT exemption certificates branded 'sweeping problem under the carpet'

The Infrastructure Minister has announced a plan to reduce the waiting times on Northern Ireland's creaking MOT system - and Belfast Live readers have branded the scheme as "sweeping the problem under the carpet" in our comments section. Around 115,000 cars in Northern Ireland could be eligible for a one-year Temporary Exemption Certificate, to be processed automatically by the Driver and Vehicle Agency.

The temporary exemptions will apply to private cars first registered between June 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020 or between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018, which have a valid MOT certificate issued by the DVA. Roadworthy, taxed, and insured vehicles can continue to be used under the scheme.

Infrastructure Minister O'Dowd said: "By introducing TECs, I have sought to strike the best balance between improving service delivery and minimising any risk to road safety. As road users we all have a personal responsibility to behave in a way that keeps ourselves and others safe and, regardless of TECs, it remains our responsibility to ensure our cars are in a roadworthy condition."

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Commenter RKW21 isn't convinced that this is the golden bullet: “This is just kicking the can down the road. Making MOTs every two years for cars under 10 years old instead of every one year will halve the issue overnight.”

User John Stuart says: “All this makes no sense? Lol.” Some will be left out by the date ranges, like Starfight: “No use to me, mine is April 2019.”

Schwarzwald writes: “Why couldn’t they just extend the MOT to 18mths or 24mths? Instead they have to go down the bureaucratic route and over complicate it with exemption certificates for those with cars registered between certain dates. Extra paperwork just to keep a few civil servants in jobs.”

Itiswhatitisaye says: “So vehicles 1st June 2018 to 31st May 2019 aren't exempt. How did they decide the criteria? I fall in this bracket but only have 21,000 miles, yet a car registered in 2017 could have 70k and get a TEC, where's the logic?”

Aye That's Right adds: “They can keep driving them as long as they are roadworthy? But surely it’s the job of the tester to say if the car is roadworthy? Is every car owner now supposed to know if they have a worn out lower control arm bushing or defective brake calliper slide pins, or uneven wear caused by bad tracking? Sure they’ve only had 4-5 years since these problems started to get it fixed…"

Nemo2000 writes: “Solve the problem by sweeping it under the carpet.” Wing Commander replies: “Should be sweeping it into the potholes instead of under the carpet.”

Will the introduction of Temporary Exemption Certificates help to tackle the MOT backlog? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.