Written question asked by Lord Walney (Labour) on Thursday, 23 February 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 February 2012. It was answered by Mike Penning (Conservative) on Thursday, 1 March 2012 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average frequency of Vehicle and Operator Services Agency inspections of MOT testing stations was in the latest period for which figures are available; and what assessment she has made of trends in the frequency of such inspections over the last five years.

Answer: In 2007 VOSA moved to a targeted risk-based enforcement process. In 2007-08 all MOT test stations were visited to assess their potential risk of non-compliance. MOT test stations rated as high and medium risk were programmed for a site assessment visit every 18 months and the low risk MOT test stations every three years. In 2010-11 VOSA completed 9,440 site assessments (approximately 50% of MOT test stations). Assessment of the previous three years' data suggests that the balance of frequency versus the risk to the public was justified for each of the segments.

Secondary information