5. Memorandum submitted by The Driver
Vehicle and Operator Group, Department for Transport
Thank you for your letter of 11 May seeking
further information on MoT computerisation. The position is as
follows:
Q1 We understand that the system uses dial-up
rather than broadband and slow dot-matrix printers. Is this the
case? If so, is there provision in the PFI contract to upgrade
the technology and when will this happen?
A. Yes this is the case.
Broadband
Garages would have incurred significant costs
in installing broadband whereas all garages already had a standard
telephone socket. In addition broadband technology was not commercially
available when the contract was signed in February 2000.
Dot Matrix Printers
It was agreed to use dot matrix printers before
the go ahead was given to move to non secure certificates as this
type of printer puts the ink into the paper as opposed to laser
jet which writes on top of it. Therefore it would be difficult
to alter fraudulently the information on the certificate if the
decision had been to retain secure certificates. By the time we
received the go ahead to move to non secure certificates, the
contract with Siemens had already been signed on the basis that
dot matrix printers would be used and these had already been purchased.
Yes, there is provision in the contract to upgrade
the technology. VOSA and Siemens are already discussing options
such as broadband, laser printers, flat panel screens and hand
held devices for MOT testers. No dates have as yet been set for
any technology refresh as this will form part of revised contract
negotiations.
Q2 How many test centres have reported problems
with the system, or needed to contact the call-centre due to a
problem with the system?
A. On average the service desk receives
30,000 calls a month from users in the garage community covering
the full range of service functions the desk provides eg re setting
passwords, making payments, checking MOT tester status etc.
Whilst unable to provide the specific figures
asked for by the Committee we do know that, during the period
since roll-out (18 April 2005 to 30 April 2006), there have been
28 days of the 378 days of operation where a technical problem
occurred. In 20 of these 28 days, 95% or more garages that were
using the system experienced no disruption to MOT testing. Of
the remaining eight days, there were only three (commencing Tuesday
25 April) when more than 5% of the total garage estate (18,390)
were affected by a technical problem
Q3 Since roll-out was completed, how many
paper MOT certificates have had to be issued rather than computer
generated ones? What were the main reasons for these?
A. 115,900 paper certificates have been
issued compared to 14.75 million computerised ones. Paper based
certificates are issued for only two reasons:
(i) hardware failure in the garage itself
or
(ii) when VOSA invoke Emergency Testing (ET).
Emergency testing is a back-up system which
is invoked in the event of service disruption. It enables garages
to continue testing. Motorists can still get their vehicles MOT
tested. They will receive a paper based certificate (rather than
a computerised one) which is valid proof of the test. Motorists
can still obtain a vehicle excise licence by presenting the paper
certificate and can get a duplicate computerised certificate if
they want one.
Q4 Have there been any whole-system failures
which resulted in all, or a substantial number, of testing centres
being unable to operate?
A. There have been no whole system failures
which resulted in garages being unable to operate.
As previously mentioned, in the event of service
disruption VOSA invokes Emergency Testing. This was done when
we had technical problems on the system in April and within 15
minutes of being advised of the problem by Siemens. Garages and
MOT customers were able to carry on delivering and receiving the
MOT service and the computerised system was virtually fully restored
within four working days.
The reason for the technical problem was quickly
identified by Siemens as an overnight batch which ran slower than
expected and was still running when garages began using the system
the following morning (25 April). The problem was fixed by 12.30
pm on the same day and those garages affected began to come back
on line. ET remained in place until VOSA were content that the
system was fully back to normal.
This incident did attract some national and
regional media, print and broadcast interest. The articles (particularly
those appearing in the press) overstated the problem by inaccurately
reporting that "millions" of garages were unable to
test and motorists wanting to have their vehicles MOT tested were
being turned away. Some motorists did experience inconvenience
because a number of garages failed to implement ET correctly.
VOSA are addressing this with bulletins and direct contact.
22 May 2006
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