NI car dealers receiving second class service following DVA transfer: McIlveen DUP MLA, Michelle McIlveen, has criticised the Westminster Government’s handling of the transfer of vehicle licensing to Swansea claiming that poor planning has resulted in anomalies which are causing problems for local car dealers. The Strangford MLA spent many years involved in the motor trade and sympathises with the local businesses affected. Commenting Michelle McIlveen said, “In the rush to close the DVA offices in Northern Ireland, the Department of Transport in Westminster has seemingly failed to allow for the differences in services in the jurisdictions. As a result car dealers in Northern Ireland can find themselves receiving a second class service. One of these differences is that cars are MOT’d when they reach 3 years old in Great Britain but in Northern Ireland it occurs after 4 years. This situation causes a practical problem under the new regime. Where a car is registered in England in June 2011 and then sold in Northern Ireland in July 2014, a dealer can find himself being told that an application for car tax will not be processed because the computer system will state that it requires an MOT. At the same time, the vehicle cannot be MOT’d in Northern Ireland because it is not old enough. In dealing with a situation such as this, Swansea, after some negotiation, agreed to process the application but it would take up to 4 weeks. When a vehicle is sold the purchaser wants the car as quickly as possible. Such delays are unacceptable and the purchaser may not understand the difficulty. A further problem arises with Cherished Number Transfer. Where a customer wants to retain their registration number, Swansea is requesting an insurance cover note with the new vehicle’s original number on it. Understandably, there is unwillingness by insurance companies to issue two insurance certificates without excessive cost. The transfer process can take up to six weeks by which time the cover notes have expired and the documentation ends up being returned. While the blame for the practical problems being caused can be firmly laid at the feet of Westminster’s Department of Transport, it is also clear that there has been no consultation or subsequent training given to the local motor trade about the transfer of functions. I would have hoped that the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland would have stepped up to the mark in this instance.”
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 17:10:49 +0000
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