Ms Denise Barry:

With regard to vehicle failure, the national car test and commercial vehicle test, which are conducted periodically, are very important road safety preventative measures. They are conducted once every four years or two years, or once a year for a commercial vehicle. As the assistant commissioner said, the owners, users and drivers of these vehicles have responsibility to ensure they are in good condition for the rest of the time.

As regards the national car test, the Minister introduced fixed penalties in August 2014 and there was a great deal of pressure on the NCT as a result. It mainly came from people whose tests were overdue and who were seeking a test very quickly.

As a result, the number of people who are overdue a test has decreased from 330,000 late last year to 130,000 this year.

In regard to commercial vehicles, we have reformed the commercial vehicle testing system and the number of tests being conducted since 2012 has increased by 28%. We expect 600,000 commercial vehicle tests to be conducted this year. We have also introduced maintenance obligations and our enforcement officers now go out to inspect premises to ensure commercial vehicle operators and owners implement proper maintenance regulations, do walk-around checks on vehicles and have defect rectification systems in place. In regard to the NCT, it is the responsibility of every private vehicle owner to ensure his or her vehicle is in good condition. Checking vehicles is very important for both private and commercial vehicles, particularly in regard to tyres.

It is important tyres are of a good standard as they are the main part of the car in contact with roads. There is a concern in respect of tyres and we are considering doing work to ensure car owners are aware of the condition of their vehicles and tyres so that they know when having their cars serviced or buying tyres that they meet the minimum requirements. They should also be sure they are getting value for money when buying part worn tyres because these might only have a certain thread left and may not last as long. The Department is also working on putting in place fixed penalties for vehicle defects because while owners have responsibility for maintenance, we need to be able to support the Garda in enforcing this. Fixed penalties have proved to be effective and we are seeking these.