NI says ‘no’ to EU proposals

19 October 2012  

THE CHAIR of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for the Environment is calling on a House of Lords committee to support its objection to the introduction of proposed new legislation for MOT testing and roadside inspections.

The proposed European-wide legislation will mean stricter testing for all road vehicles and appears to require them to be maintained with only OE parts.  The proposed legislation will also extend to all trailers including caravans and to agricultural tractors capable of traveling at more than 40 kilometres per hour.

In a communication headlined ‘Draconian European Vehicle Testing must not come to Northern Ireland’ Chair of the Committee, Anna Lo, said: “There is insufficient justification for the introduction of this legislation. The Driver and Vehicle Agency have informed the Committee that they are worried about the financial impact that this new legislation will have.  Naturally, any financial impact of new legislation may be passed on to the general public, and the Committee is strongly against this.  We have also learned that the perceived benefits of the legislation will be negligible across the UK.

Ms Lo concluded: “These proposals are at an early stage of their passage through the European legislative system but that is why the Committee is determined to act now. Too often we have seen European legislation brought in quietly, with issues only coming to light once they are in place and it is too late to make changes. Until it can be shown that these proposals will bring about significant benefits and improvements to Northern Ireland, the Committee will fight against them.”

In Northern Ireland MOT tests are not conducted by private garages on behalf of VOSA, but instead tested at publically owned centres that are  administered directly by the relevant government department