2.5 In September 2001, the phased installation of the new equipment in DVTA's 15 test centres commenced, and the refurbishment of the first centre (Cookstown) was completed in November 2001. Initially, the new equipment was used for demonstration purposes for staff from other test centres and actual live testing of vehicles did not commence until December 2001. The phased installation of equipment was completed for all test centres, on schedule, by September 2003.
2.6 The PFI contract contained key performance indicators for vehicle test times and customer waiting times (see paragraph 1.9). However, shortly after the commencement of live operations, problems with achieving the 18-minute test time required by the contract became apparent, with tests taking as long as an average of 27 minutes. Particular problems arose due to lengthy times being taken to complete manual inspections at the final test stage (see Appendix 3), as this often resulted in a queue of vehicles forming in a lane.
2.7 Since the inception of the project, DVTA has consistently been unable to achieve the key performance indicators specified in the PFI contract (see paragraph 1.9 and Figure 1 below). Over the three-year period from 2002-03 to 2004-05:
• average vehicle test times have been 23 minutes, five minutes (28 percent) above the PFI target, despite the fact that full testing of all items was not introduced until March 2006 (see paragraphs 2.24 and 2.27);
• annual average waiting times for customers rose from 20 to 55 calendar days in 2004-05, significantly above the PFI target of 14 calendar days. However, performance in 2004-05 was significantly influenced by the Civil Service-wide strike (see paragraph 2.4); and
• waiting times at some individual centres were very high (see Appendix 4) with one centre peaking at 51 calendar days in July and August 2003, more than twice that specified in the PFI contract (21 calendar days).
Figure 1: Actual performance compared with the PFI contract requirements
| Performance Category | PFI contract requirement | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 * |
| Vehicle Test Time (minutes) | 18 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| Average Waiting Time (calendar days) | 14 | 20 | 30 | 55 |
| Maximum Waiting Time (calendar days) | 21 | 34 | 51 | 179* |
Source: DVTA
* Performance in 2004-05 was affected by the participation of DVTA staff in a Civil Service-wide strike during 2004 (see paragraph 2.4)
2.8 In order to address the MOT2 productivity problems and the other factors which were affecting DVTA's operational performance, and to counteract the subsequent backlog of test applications and increased waiting times, DVTA introduced a number of remedial measures between 2002-03 and 2004-05. These included:
• deferring the introduction of full testing of smoke emission, catalytic converter and headlamp beam alignment (required by EU and domestic legislation - see paragraph 1.4), partly due to the potential impact this would have on customer waiting times;
• introducing the extensive use of overtime (see paragraphs 2.16 to 2.18 below);
• introducing extended-day working by staff at a number of test centres earlier than had been envisaged by the terms of the PFI contract;
• using 'flexible' examiners (i.e. those qualified to conduct both vehicle and driving tests) solely on vehicle tests; and
• providing additional training in 2003-04 for its examiners in the use of the new equipment, in order to familiarise staff with the additional test items, and in an attempt to reduce test times.
2.9 These measures succeeded in minimising waiting times and helped to ensure that DVTA achieved its formal business target in this regard in 2002-03. However, they were less successful in this regard in 2003-04 and 2004-05 (see paragraph 2.10 and Figure 2), due to the ongoing difficulties with operation of the MOT2 equipment, and other operational factors (see paragraph 2.4). DVTA told us that it had succeeded in reducing average waiting times to just over 14 calendar days in early 2004, but that the subsequent industrial action (see paragraph 2.4) had been a major factor in these increasing significantly. The use of flexible examiners solely on vehicle tests (see paragraph 2.8) contributed to driving test waiting times increasing from 2002 onwards, with the overall average waiting time in 2002-03 and 2003-04 rising to 32 days, against a key performance target of 23 days.