Driver & Vehicle Agency
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The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) is a government agency of the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment. It was created in early 2007 through the merger of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland (DVLNI) and the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency (DVTA). At present (May 2007) this merger process is at its early stages with operations still run by the two previously separate bodies.
The merger brings together roles which are carried out by a number of different agencies in Great Britain, namely the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). From Autumn 2008 much of the previous role of the DVLNI will be merged with the DVLA and be based in Swansea, Wales. This has placed over 200 jobs in doubt.[1]
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[edit] Driver and vehicle testing
Previously the responsibility of the DVTA, the DVA is responsible for the testing of both drivers, in the form of theory and practical driving tests, and vehicles, primarily through the MOT test.
The standards and form of these tests is the same as in the rest of the United Kingdom, where they are performed by the DSA for driving tests and the VOSA for vehicles.
Unlike in Great Britain, where MOT tests can be performed by authorised garages, in Northern Ireland all MOT tests must be undertaken at one of the fifteen DVA test centres.
[edit] Driver and vehicle licensing
Previously the responsibility of the DVLNI, the DVA maintains the database of drivers and vehicles in Northern Ireland; its counterpart in Great Britain is the DVLA. The agency issues driving licences, sells "cherished marks" (private number plates) and, under an agreement from the UK Department for Transport, organises collection of vehicle excise duty (also known as road tax and road fund license).
It is based in Coleraine, County Londonderry, and also has offices in Armagh, Ballymena, Belfast, Derry, Downpatrick, Enniskillen and Omagh.
