James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will conclude on this as the RSA has a lot of work to do and we do not want to keep the witnesses. We are also dealing with amendments that have been made to the criminal offences involved in driving. It is proposed that fines be increased and we are engaging today with the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Naughton, in that regard. What concerns me is that because of the backlog, there are many drivers out there who need NCTs. For elderly people in particular, or those who may be classed as vulnerable, to have to drive huge distances from where they live is a lot to put somebody through. For example, Youghal to Cahir is an hour’s drive. If somebody in east Cork wants to go to the centre in Youghal, they are waiting until the middle of April. We can see how many people are going to be put in a situation where they are technically breaking the law. I know we saw deferrals around the time of Covid but there is a Catch-22 here. If we do not get this thing sorted, it is going to put a lot of people at risk of being stopped. Ultimately, the Garda Síochána has to and should do its job and, unfortunately, fines will be applied and people may be given penalty point notices as a consequence of these backlogs. I do not know how much longer the whole area of deferrals is going to be a runner in the Department of Transport when it comes to the NCT. It bothers me.

That is just a comment, not a question, but we are going down that line. A proposition is being made to increase the standard fine from €80 to €160, if I stand corrected by the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton. I know the public at large will have a lot to say about it but that is the space we are in. That is going to be the negative consequence for ordinary people, particularly those who will struggle to travel those distances to get the NCT. There is a case to be made on that and a bit of discussion is needed around it.