Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

The system in Ireland has strayed from reality. They do not understand. All the officials should be sent out to these businesses to understand the effect of this measure. What impact assessment was done to determine how many road hauliers this measure would put out of business? An impact assessment was not done. We are bringing in legislative measure after legislative measure, smothering the people responsible in paper and to hell or to Connacht with it, to quote Cromwell. It is beyond a joke, and I am sorry if the Acting Chairman has that view.

Regarding "Prime Time Investigates", I intend raising this in the committee when we come back after dealing with the other report about the priest and others because they were blackguarding. They hired people to try to condemn good businesses. Blackguarding went on in that regard. We need to examine all those issues.

The Government hopes to raise €4.5 million as a result of this measure. That is wonderful. It hopes to have a cap of €45 for all tests. The €4.5 million will never be earned but the €45 will increase to €450. I can guarantee that as sure as it will get dark tonight because that is what has happened in the past.

I am disappointed to hear people condemn the NCT and DOE testers in local areas. They have to operate to high standards, and people can drive their vehicles to those centres but under this measure they will all have to come to Dublin and congest the traffic even more to get tested. We think big is powerful but it is not. We must be realistic. This system cannot be taken into one conglomerate. We should have learned by now that big is not wonderful.

A company in my town, Plant Care Ltd, went out of business last Thursday. I thank that company for the employment it provided. A receiver was sent in because it could not keep going. That business gave great employment and sponsorship to many local clubs, including in Longford town and Longford. It provided a great deal of employment and many services also but it has gone to the wall. That business is only one of many that have gone to the wall. I meet single hauliers every day of the week who simply gave up the ghost. They could not bring their wife or secretary in the cab with them to deal with all the certification that was required. Most of the trucks now have to have computers on board. We have to stop somewhere. Safety regulations for brakes, tyres, chassis, steering and so on are vital but not for all the Mickey Mouse nonsense that is going on. It is keeping fellows in employment. As I said earlier, a fellow carrying a briefcase comes into my business to test the machine but he cannot start it. I have to have a driver to start it for him. These people would not know how to get into the cab. We must have realism in this matter.

The "Prime Time Investigates" programme exposed the NCT centres, and rightly so if wrongdoing occurred, but "Prime Time Investigates" is not the programme we all thought it was; it is on the floor now. All I am asking for is fair play for business people, some of whom have been in business for 50 and 60 years. They started off with a horse and cart, moved on to the Comer trucks, then to rigid trucks and then to articulated trucks. They gave employment and took the risks with the banks. If we do away with all the risk takers, how will we recover? Those people did it. They can do it but they need fair play. The lifeblood is being squeezed out of them because they cannot get the bonds if an issue arises with their licence. They cannot get overdrafts from the banks that would help them to keep in business. These people are providing employment. What about all the families who were depending on Plant Care Ltd., the company that went out of business last Thursday, and the five, six or ten companies that went to the wall since last Thursday?

The madness has got to stop. I am all for road safety but where are the heroes now? The former Minister, Noel Dempsey, ran off like a scalded cat. He designed the motorways with his officials, Gay Byrne and Noel Brett and left us without rest areas. They should have been charged with reckless behaviour for building motorways without a place for truckers or car drivers to stop, just as some Ministers should have been charged with reckless behaviour for the damage done to this country but they will not be touched. They are the untouchables. I cannot wait for Deputy Shane Ross to publish his book about the untouchables. I hope he mentions a few from the Road Safety Authority, RSA, and the National Roads Authority, NRA, because one cannot get through to those people. One cannot talk to them. I have seen where the NRA will not allow businesses develop in south Tipperary because they will not give permission for an exit onto the road yet one can see the most dastardly things hanging out over motorways in other counties. An investigation should be done in that regard also. I have no faith in the NRA. I have less faith in the RSA. I wish this Minister well but I had no faith in the previous Minister.

I congratulate the county councils for the job they have done but it seems everything is being taken from them. They are closing by stealth, and to hell with it. The Minister, Deputy Hogan, Big Phil, tried to amalgamate South Tipperary and North Tipperary County Councils. The Deputy and myself will be representing one constituency on the next occasion. Those are bullying tactics. Decent public servants who do good work and provide a good service are being thrown to the wind without any assurance as to where they will be located.

On the question of Garda resources, I regularly meet Garda inspectors who have to police these vehicles. I have no problem stopping for a garda but I have a problem stopping for someone with a briefcase because he could be a kidnapper. He will not have a badge on his arm and there will be no blue lights flashing. I do not know what we will call these special people. I believe they will become an endangered species. I respect all the laws. I never break laws nor encourage anyone to break them but truckers cannot adhere to this measure. The Garda tells me that in certain areas they do not have a squad car yet the Minister for Defence can provide helicopters and hire Army planes to watch fellows cutting turf. They will send helicopters after those of us in the lorries to see if the back doors are closed. This is patent nonsense. We are persecuting ordinary people who want to be law-abiding, pay their way, get employment and generate business. We are giving responsibility for all of that to the officials. We then send them off with a fat retirement pension and then rehire them, regardless of any investigation or report that has been done. It is like the amalgamation of my constituency, North and South Tipperary, we have two retired officials from the Department. If they are retired they should be playing golf. They were probably playing golf when they were working. That is the way things have gone, and it is not funny. It appears everyone in these jobs has to be a retired official. A layman is never considered for any of these jobs.

I am speaking honestly. The Minister should go after the diesel launderers because the fellows who use the laundered diesel are also using defective tyres and defective vehicles but some of those people are the untouchables, and people are afraid to confront them. They have to be confronted and stopped from undermining the good practices of ordinary, decent road hauliers, their employees, their families and the local garages and businesses that support the trucking companies yet we want to move responsibility for that area to some big place, perhaps inside Tallaght Hospital. That is what we like to do. Everything must be near the M50. We forget about rural Ireland. It is time we got back to basics and to rural Ireland. We must understand who wants to live in rural Ireland, create a job for himself or herself, provide employment and pay taxes. The Government will pay the pensions for all these officials who go off with hundreds of thousands of euro. When it gets too hot in this kitchen the people are sent off to Europe because they have too much to tell, like the bankers and others. I will not name any officials. I hope this measure will be consigned to the dustbin.

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