Mr. Fintan Towey:

I take the point. There was a question for Professor Cusack about prescribed medication. Senator Brennan raised similar issues regarding the bilateral agreement with the UK. Although vehicles that may not be suitable for use are coming back on the roads, it is incorrect to suggest that all 18,000 vehicles that the insurance companies have deemed to be written off are unsuitable.

There is a significant proportion of vehicles where the insurance company decides to implement a financial write-off and pays the insured value of the vehicle rather than the repairs even though the vehicle is capable of being repaired safely. Cars that are reintroduced onto the road are subject to the NCT. Those tests are carried out at certain intervals - after four years for a new car and after two years for an older car up to the age of ten. The NCT does not test the structural integrity of a vehicle which has been involved in a traffic collision. It is not a suitable test for establishing if a vehicle that has been in a collision is suitable for reintroduction to service. It would be cost prohibitive to introduce such a test for all cars in the NCT.