Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Himmer and Mr. Nolan for their presentation. The first reaction of most people to this issue has been the scale of the problem, not only here but across the Continent. The reason this continued from 2009 and was only discovered in 2015 is difficult for anybody to understand. If the problem is confined to the EA189 engine and there are three different versions of it and if it is down to the electronic monitoring, there is obviously a problem with the engine. If that is the case, can it be fixed? Is it a case that no matter what one does, the emissions from that engine will be a problem? From a technical view, even if one installs electronics, will that solve the problem and will it meet the standards not only here but in other European countries? Outside of the reputational damage to the company, there are other implications in terms of motor tax in other countries. There will also be implications for national car test centres as to why this was not detected. I gather the problem was not detected until the vehicle was in operation. If the electronics can fool NCT centres, there is an issue that needs to be addressed. I do not know whether that will have legal implications. In most countries there may be issues in terms of people who paid taxes and so on.

Have the witnesses noticed much of a change in the industry? Has this issue had a big effect on sales? Are we seeing a massive drop in sales? I am curious as to whether this will lead to job losses over a period. At the moment I can imagine many people are worried about their Volkswagen vehicles, their resale and the effects on the environment. Mr. Himmer said that approximately 110,000 vehicles are affected - 80,000 in Ireland and 30,000 imports, whether cars or other vehicles. Euro 6 has stated that, in general, nine out of ten cars exceed the limits. Is it the witnesses' goal to get the limits down to Euro 6 levels although it does not appear as if that would be possible?

I was a technician by trade before becoming a politician so I understand a good deal about the electronics. One can put stuff in electronically but so far as I can see, the actual engine is the issue. Perhaps the witnesses would comment on some of those questions.