Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I am quite disappointed to hear how the Minister intends to handle this issue from now on. The national car test has been an issue for some time and there is much public concern over its operation, including over the fact that 49% of cars fail their first test. One hears much anecdotal information and complaints from constituents that there is a lack of uniformity in the approach taken. It is believed that strange decisions are sometimes made in the testing procedures such that a car that fails under one tester would be passed by another without any work having to be done on the car. There is concern over quality standards.

The review has been proceeding for some time and I do not understand why the Minister is not publishing the result. It will be up to him and others involved to decide how to implement recommendations but surely the public is entitled to know the outcome of the review of the national car testing service. Will the Minister publish the report prior to making any decisions on how he intends to proceed?

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