Staffing concerns see MOT tests branded Brexit “over-reaction”

Tuesday 09 October 2018

Government plans to put Jersey’s 40,000 cars and motorbikes through MOT-style testing every three years are getting a rough ride, with some describing them as a “complete over reaction” to Brexit, which could prove costly to drivers and the States.

Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Kevin Lewis, brought the proposals forward last month, stating that they would ensure Jersey vehicles meet international standards to still be able to drive in the EU after Brexit.

If implemented, the plans would see motorists pay up to £60 per test for all vehicles that are fewer than 40 years old. 

But so far the idea doesn’t appear to have accelerated to success.

Pictured: Deputy Kevin Lewis, the Minister for Infrastructure.

A panel of politicians tasked with reviewing the idea have heard from a number of islanders within the motor trade, who drew attention to the staffing – and money – needed to make the idea work.  

If accepted, the legislation would see an estimated 40,745 cars and motorcycles inspected per year (6,975 motorcycles and mopeds, 27,850 cars and 5,920 re-inspections).  With “insufficient capacity” to conduct such testing at the island’s current DVS facility, it would have to be adapted to take on more. 

Staffing would also require a major boost, according to previous motor traffic inspector James Sinclair, who calculated that the plans would involve hiring nine extra testers:

“If 40,000 need to be inspected every three years that is 13,300 per annum. At one hour an inspection that is 13,300 hours for the actual inspection, not to mention the ancillary duties attached. We could be talking about 14,000 labour hours. Traffic Officers (TOs) work a 37 hour week so 37 x 46 Weeks (annual leave and bank holidays is the other six weeks) is 1,702 hours for 1 TO.

"Calculating in sickness you would need nine extra TOs minimum if done at DVS… Another way of looking at it is 266 vehicles being tested in a week."

Pictured: DVS at La Collette can’t currently accommodate the scale of testing being proposed.

He also questioned the necessity of Jersey adhering to the Vienna Convention – the UN principles on which the proposed legislation is based – and argued that "the UK has gone completely overboard with Brexit and the worst case scenarios.” Describing the move as a "complete over reaction", he asked: "Shouldn't we in Jersey at least wait until the leaving details are known?”

He was joined in his concerns by the former St. Clement Deputy, and failed Senatorial candidate, Gerard Baudains, who described himself as having worked for many years in the motor trade.

Claiming that he had "obviously seen many vehicles of all types in that time”, he said that “few and far between” were actually not worthy of being on the road.

Mr Baudains also described the idea that MOTs ensure which vehicles are fit to be on the road as, “...a fallacy.”

"All it ensures is that at time of testing, certain parameters met approval," he wrote in a letter to the Scrutiny Panel.

So far, with DVS we’ve stopped 50 commercial vehicles in the last hour, 25 issued defect notices and 1 taken off the road pic.twitter.com/YtZC476L2H

— States of Jsy Police (@JerseyPolice) October 8, 2018

Giving an example, he explained that he once bought a UK registered Ford Cortina Mk3 for its engine. While the front of the car was so rotten with rust he was able to pull it off by hand, the car still had six months valid MOT. 

As he says Jersey doesn't have a problem with unfit vehicles, Mr Baudains thinks MOTs should be optional. He suggested: "Those people with cars over three or four years old who wish to take them to Europe could get them tested, in the same way they’ll apparently need to get an international driving licence. That way, only a few hundred cars at most would need to be tested, saving the administration and other costs to both motorists and the state." 

Another islander suggested opt-in testing inspired by the Pet Passport. He wrote: "If you take your pet to France you need a passport, so let's introduce a system that if you take your car off-Island you need a MOT not for vehicles that remain on island." 

The Scrutiny Panel will be publishing their findings, based on islanders’ comments and research, ahead of a States debate on the proposed legislation on 20 November.