Driver and Vehicle Agency
The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA or DVANI) 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).
The merger brought together roles which are carried out by separate agencies in Great Britain, namely the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). A merger of the DVLA in Swansea and the DVA in Coleraine was proposed in February 2012 as part of a review of government services.[1]
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.
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 car tax).
It is based in Coleraine, County Londonderry, and also has offices in Armagh, Ballymena, Belfast, Derry, Downpatrick, Enniskillen and Omagh.
See also
References
- ↑ "Coleraine job fears over Driver and Vehicle Agency merger review". BBC News Online. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.