HC Deb 08 April 1998 vol 310 cc295-6W
Mr. Steinberg

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will make a statement on the procedures followed when a complaint is received alleging that a garage is issuing MoT certificates illegally; [38117]

(2) what surveillance techniques are used in investigating garages suspected of irregularities in issuing MoT test certificates; and what training surveillance operatives receive. [38118]

Ms Glenda Jackson

I have asked the Chief Executive of the Vehicle Inspectorate Executive Agency, Mr. Ron Oliver, to write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from Ron Oliver to Mr. Gerry Steinberg, dated 8 April 1998

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about procedures followed in cases of complaints alleging that garages are issuing MOT certificates illegally; and what surveillance techniques are used to investigate garages suspected of irregularities in issuing MOT certificates and what training surveillance operatives receive.In cases where complaints are of a sufficiently detailed nature, the Inspectorate will investigate and take appropriate enforcement action against an MOT testing station. Police or Trading Standards Officers may also be involved in some cases, particularly if deception in vehicle sales is suspected. In other cases, complaints are used to target our advisory counselling or enforcement activities. These can include a visit from a Vehicle Examiner to examine documentation or an incognito test in which a Vehicle Examiner submits a vehicle for test as a member of the public and observes the test to ensure that the correct standards are applied.In cases where there is suspicion of irregularities, MOT testing stations may be observed from areas of public access or from surrounding premises to monitor vehicle movement and activities. The results of observations are compared with the issue of MOT certificates. The observation of vehicle movement at non-testing premises may also be linked to certificates issued from MOT testing stations. Staff involved in surveillance receive 'off the job' training on the requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and 'on the job' training involving mentoring and sharing of best practice from managers and colleagues.The Inspectorate carries out continuous reviews of procedures for maintaining security arrangements for MOT documentation. These have included improvements in design and printing techniques to make forgery more difficult and the introduction of a stolen test certificate hotline. Reducing the market for stolen and forged test certificates is one of the objectives of the Inspectorate's MOT computerisation project which involves setting up a computer network linking all MOT testing stations (some 18,500) with a central database containing details of every vehicle tested under the MOT scheme. The project is in its early stages and is anticipated to go live in the early years of the next decade.
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