Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the presentation.

Are we saying that the majority of countries are against the testing of agricultural vehicles and motorbikes? I am trying to find out if these tractors, etc., are on lands and are used solely for that purpose. Is there a law stating that if they are used on private roads it constitutes something else? If one moved one's tractor onto a highway, would that change its status in some way? As a farmer may have to get a tractor from one place to another, I am trying to get my head around that.

In regard to motorbikes, there appears to be no regulation. I have serious questions about motorbikes in general. There should be some mechanism to enable them to be checked, whether spot checks or otherwise. More regulations may need to be laid down. Where are the standards, and how can we assess them? I do not agree with the idea of registering mileage and using mileage as a means. We have a standard test. The mileage could be recorded on the certificates but I would not agree with its being used as a gauge in the way people are advocating.

On the issue of testing of vehicles in general, are we moving towards a European standard? We have our own regulations whereby, after a certain period, there is an annual check. Is every country adopting a particular standard under which, for example, if a vehicle is ten years old there is an annual check? In the case of taxis, the regulation has changed so that ten-year-old vehicles will have six-monthly checks. There is a need to be more in line with other countries, as opposed to adopting our own standards.