Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome both groups and thank them for their communications, which I found helpful. I was not aware that the matter raised in the communications was an issue for vintage vehicles. I am familiar with the charitable work they do. I proposed that both groups would come before the committee to set out their stall, giving them an opportunity to present it in public. The Joint Committee on Transport and Communications is televised and it gives us an opportunity to highlight what has happened. If I were benign, I might say it was an oversight, but if it was not an oversight, I am concerned as to the reason this has been allowed to happen. The groups play a central role in public events in maintaining and preserving heritage. Their work feeds into education in terms of teaching the current generation about the practices and engineering of the past. They provide wonderful entertainment to so many people and they play an integral role in festivals which generate local economic activity. It is clear that they play a part in the domestic tourism sector. I hope that the exemption they are looking for will be extended. Quite clearly, the vehicles are used for social and domestic outings, largely for pleasure. Many of the vehicles that I am familiar with are taken on low loaders to events around the country, The vehicles are not driven for long distances, such is the interest in preserving them. They are not driven at high speeds or put through any work routine. I fail to see why the exemption cannot be extended. I will make a proposal that the committee encourages the Minister to put in place the appropriate exemption by way of statutory instrument to meet the needs of the Irish Veteran and Vintage Car Club and the Vintage Veteran Trucks Association. I know the Department has indicated that it will review of the statutory instrument. In my view that is too far down the road. It would be more appropriate to deal with it and have the vehicle class included in the overall exemption. When one considers that it includes motor caravans and tractors, I would have thought a logical extension would be the trucks that the VVTA so carefully maintain and protect for posterity. I thank the groups for their work.

I propose that the committee support the Chairman's recommendation to seek an exemption to include the vintage veteran trucks.