Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays in the Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) testing process on specialist vehicle manufacturers; what steps she is taking to increase IVA testing capacity and improve the flexibility of the DVSA booking system; and whether she has considered allowing vehicles for which a valid IVA application has been submitted to be registered, taxed and placed into service pending inspection, subject to appropriate enforcement action where a vehicle subsequently fails its IVA test.

The Government recognises that delays to Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) tests can affect specialist vehicle manufacturers and other businesses, including through delayed sales and impacts on cash flow.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is working with customers to minimise these delays. Demand has increased significantly, with imported vehicle approvals around 24% higher than during the same period last year. Imported vehicles account for around half of DVSA’s IVA testing.

DVSA is increasing testing capacity. Three new IVA assessors have recently started conducting approvals, with a further nine being recruited and trained. This will increase the number of specialist assessors by around 18%.

DVSA is also training additional examiners to carry out routine IVA examinations, simplifying processes and expanding testing at privately owned Vehicle Examination Facilities. It has also reviewed test times to improve efficiency and free up further capacity. These measures will increase testing capacity, widen the choice of locations and provide greater flexibility for customers.

Vehicles must meet the relevant safety, security, and environmental factors before they can be approved for first registration. The Government therefore has no current plans to allow vehicles awaiting an IVA inspection to be registered, taxed and placed into service.