The infrastructure minister was speaking ahead of an assembly debate on waiting times for MoT tests.
Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd has ruled out the privatisation of MoT services in Northern Ireland.Last week, the chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Agency said motorists in Northern Ireland face an average wait of 72 days for MoT tests.That would mean establishing a network of of authorised private garages to carry out tests.
"Let there be no mistake, that is a call for privatisation of MoT services, taking work and jobs away from our valued public servants," Mr O'Dowd said.The minister said DVA staff were working hard to reduce waiting times through increasing its capacity with nearly 1.2 million MoT tests carried out in the last financial year, the most-ever in a single year.
However, DVA chief executive Jeremy Logan said "changed customer behaviour" was responsible for the current pressure on the system. "The reality is that people are holding onto their cars for longer," he said, adding that there were also more cars on the road than ever before.A centre at Hydebank, in south Belfast, due to open in 2022, is now scheduled to open later in 2024, while a new test centre at Mallusk, in County Antrim, scheduled to open in 2024, is now planned for 2025.
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