Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister knows, the motor industry is in real difficulty. It welcomed the change in the registration system. It remains to be seen how that will work out. I hope it will result in a more even spread of sales throughout the year. The early figures for 2013 are extremely weak. It is projected that approximately 70,000 vehicles will be sold over the course of the year. I have grave concerns about the direction in which this is going. The industry is in real difficulty. I think we will see more job losses in major dealerships over the months ahead. I ask the Minister to reconsider this matter.

I would like to raise an associated issue that relates to VRT and motor vehicles. The Minister will be aware that large families - with three, four or perhaps more children - need a certain size of car if they are to comply with the road safety regulations and the proper standards for child and baby seats, etc. It is not like the old days when everyone piled into the boot. When we are framing our motor tax and VRT policy, we need to bear in mind that the cost of buying, taxing and running a family vehicle - even if one has the money to buy a new one - is prohibitive for many people. I suggest that the current policy is very much weighed against the family.