To ask the Minister for Infrastructure (i) what information is being provided to those who have paid for and booked a date for their MOT and are not in the priority group; and (ii) will she provide a contact number for those not in the priority group.

The information provided to customers who have booked a date for their MOT and are not in one of the priority groups has been tailored to the different groups of customers. Owners of vehicles including motorcycles, buses, heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and re-tests are advised to turn up for scheduled appointments, as these tests remain unaffected. Owners of cars five years old or older and light goods vehicles with recently expired or about to expire MOTs are being advised not to attend for test, unless contacted by the DVA to do so. Owners of these vehicles are also advised that they will be automatically issued with a Temporary Exemption Certificate, exempting them from the legal requirement to hold an MOT certificate up to the new date on the exemption certificate. All customers are being urged to continue to book their vehicles for MOT, as only then can the DVA prioritise their appointments, or issue them with a Temporary Exemption Certificate.

A dedicated helpline for customers in the priority group has been set up. The helpline number is 0300 200 7862. For customers not in the priority group as well as updates on press statements and social media, the DVA has created a dedicated section on the NI Direct website, where regular updates are made, to provide customers with one single point of information if they have any queries on this matter this can be accessed via www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/ongoing-issues-mot-test-centres.