Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill and I congratulate the Minister on bringing it forward. It is common sense, practical and, essentially, gives a consistent and logical approach in this area.

Some days ago I brought my car for the NCT test. I remember the fuss about the NCT when it was first introduced but it is a very good system which people accept. It is working well and there is a real sense of assurance, especially for those of us who do a lot of mileage, that the vehicle being driven is safe because somebody independent has tested it. That is very important.

The administrative functions in the Bill are moving from the local authorities to the RSA. There will be new licensing system for test centres and also for authorised testers. This sort of consistency is important in order that we get a common thread across the country and no areas are over-scrutinised or under-scrutinised.

I am somewhat concerned in regard to Chapter 3, section 31(1)(a), which allows the officer to "search the premises in order to locate the CVR vehicle or vehicles". I am not sure of the aim of this section because, if the vehicle is not on the road, it should not be an issue. The section is too vague for my liking and I question why private premises would be entered in this way. However, there might be a good reason which will be clarified later.

Chapter 3, section 31(1)(e) allows for permission to "remove and retain such books, documents or records for such period as may be reasonable for further examination". This is definitely too vague. The time period must be specified as to when documentation will be returned. The subsection does not add up.

I welcome the introduction of the plastic driving licence and it is about time it happened. How many of us curse the current licences which are too bulky and messy, and do not deliver well out of a washing machine. I am delighted to see this introduced. For those of us who happen to be in a suit one minute and in ordinary clothes the next, if the licence fits neatly into a wallet, it will always be on the driver, which is good. One of the complaints about the other licence was that, given its plastic cover and so on, putting it in a pocket damaged its appearance.

The licences should contain biometric data and there should be some identifier unique to the person so there would be clarity that the person with the licence is, indeed, the licence holder. People who have nothing to hide should not fear anything from this whereas it will expose those who have something to hide.

This also brings up the whole issue of foreign driving licences. For many years, foreign licences have come into the country but gardaí are unable to assess immediately whether the licences are genuine or otherwise, or whether the right people are holding the licences. This is a matter of concern. Obviously, in an open economy such as ours, many people come into and out of the country and, while it is important to regulate ourselves, it also important to ensure that those people with foreign licences comply completely.

The issue of the maintenance of commercial vehicles was highlighted, as the Minister rightly said yesterday, by the Kentstown crash. This terrible situation demonstrated the importance of maintenance. One of my bugbears is that this crash did not involve a private operator but Bus Éireann. The assumption is that this is just an issue with private operators who might not put money into their machines but this was a large organisation which the State funds to the tune of approximately €110 million per year for school transport. Nonetheless, it got it wrong.

I also strongly criticise - my feelings on this are well known - the new tendering system which is being put in place for school transport whereby buses aged ten years or older are coming on stream to transport our children. I firmly believe we should be implementing a system where purpose-built buses are available to transport our most precious commodity, our children. It is shocking that bus drivers who have been driving routes for 20 years find themselves thrown out under this new system only for their buses to be replaced by older buses. This is not acceptable and it is only a matter of time before there is an issue. I would welcome a tendering system for the transport of children. I do not believe this should be within the remit of Bus Éireann solely because we need to get value for the taxpayer as well.

When I talk about the maintenance of commercial vehicles, I have connections in this regard because the business I run deals with bulk transport. Unfortunately, road hauliers are having a terrible time at present. These people are providing a great service in this country and they transport everything that is essential for our economic well-being. Unfortunately, however, they are living on depreciation. What I mean is that because the rates they get for their work are dropping, as there are apparently too many of them, they are not able to renew their lorries in time and, therefore, their lorries are getting older and more maintenance needs to be done. This is a pathway to the bottom.

I would like to see a fair pricing mechanism for hauliers so there would be some standard from which they could work and hauliers would then compete on service quality as opposed to pricing down to the bitter end. I see good, compliant businesses that have been in business for 20 years tender only to be priced out of it by a completely unrealistic quote. This tells me one thing: that the person with the unrealistic quote is not on a level playing pitch. Either they are doing something incorrectly, their taxes are not in order or something else does not add up. Something is wrong when people who have been in business for more than 20 years cannot compete.

Fuel laundering was mentioned. It is a significant issue. Not only does it affect the taxpayer but it also affects the engines of many vehicles. Modern engines are sensitive and the extraction process used involves acid which damages the engines. People do not realise this. One might think one was using is cheaper fuel, but one gets fewer miles per gallon and one damages the engine in the long run. This must be addressed.

This is a sensible and practical Bill which lays the basis on which commercial vehicles will be maintained in future. It is common sense and it is remarkable that nothing like this was in place already. Thankfully, the country will see a significant increase in commercial vehicles in the coming years, especially in the agricultural sector as we implement the Food Harvest 2020 recommendations. We will see a 50% increase in the production of milk. Milk is bulky and, therefore, we will see huge volumes of milk being transported throughout the country as well as huge volumes of dairy products, including cheeses and others. We should not forget the grain sector. We had the largest harvest in the history of State last year amounting to 2.5 million tonnes. Thankfully for the sector we are due to have a similar harvest next year. We will see an increase and this is part of our recovery as a nation. The Bill will ensure this occurs in a safe and consistent fashion.

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