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

I certainly will. I will try to be quicker than Deputy Healy-Rae anyway.

I thank all the delegates for attending. Their contribution to road safety is very welcome. I am aware that An Garda Síochána is very stretched. I thank ordinary members of the force in barracks across the country for the work they do.

I want to follow on from what happened here last week. Mr. Waide's presence here today is positive but, having regard to road safety, I want to turn immediately to issues pertaining to the NCT waiting lists. I have the RSA's figures in front of me and note that, in quarter 1 of this year, 525,079 vehicles were on a waiting list for a test. That means over half a million vehicles that were waiting for a test were driving on the roads. With regard to waiting lists, we were told complete bluff here last week. I have spent the week trying to check the facts. What members of this committee were told last week by the RSA representatives, namely that the waiting time was down to around 17.5 days, was complete and utter rubbish. The waiting time in every centre within almost one and a half hours from the location in east Cork that I represent is as high as four or five months, approximately. In some cases, those booking a vehicle test online will have to wait until March 2024. Apparently, the waiting time is shorter if a telephone call is made. What has been said is just not accurate or correct. It is disappointing that representatives of Applus+ and the RSA were here trying to sell us the figure they gave. It is just not right. It makes it very hard for everybody else to make the roads safer when this is allowed to continue. There is no sign of an improvement. I accept that the number waiting in 2023 has gone from 525,000 to 250,000, but that still means 250,000 vehicles do not have a valid NCT certificate and are awaiting a test. The waiting time sometimes runs into months.

I asked last week about repercussions for the contractor. This has been going on for over two years. From my understanding of the customer charter, what was set down on the provision of free testing has not been adhered to. On this matter, I felt the goalposts were changed. When I pressed and asked what was being done by the RSA to hold the contractor, Applus+, accountable for the breach, I did not seem to get anything concrete back.

The other thing I want to say, which I have had time to think about since last week's meeting, is that it is slightly disturbing that a company was allowed a ten-year contract – a decade-long contract – to provide NCT testing. The information we were provided with last week indicated the contract was signed in February 2020. It is important to note that February 2020 was the month of the general election. I am not going to say the timing is suspicious but it is a little concerning. I want to get some further details. I want to know what other companies tendered for the RSA contract for testing. I would like the delegates to revert to the committee on that as I do not expect them to have that information to hand. Mr. Waide is new in his role and was not serving as chief executive in February 2020, but I want to know the details on why Applus+ was identified.

I want to know why because of the subsequent difficulties that have occurred since. It has been more than just Covid. There have been recruitment issues in the company with huge drives to bring in foreign labour while a number of staff left key roles and positions. Other issues have been raised here in the past around the treatment of staff. I do not want to go back down that road but ultimately, somebody has to be held to account.

The RSA has responsibility for driver testing. Waiting times for driver testing have increased dramatically nationwide which is not positive. Gardaí will say that means there are more people out on the road driving on learner permits, and doing so illegally if driving unaccompanied. Therefore we have to raise the matter of chronic waiting lists nationwide for driver testing with the RSA. There are issues around who qualifies for prioritisation. All this comes back to the RSA. I am putting those to the RSA for a response. First, can Mr. Waide accept the information provided to us last week that people are waiting for less than three weeks for appointments is not factually correct in centres that are any respectable distance from where they live?