Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason for the delay in publishing the outcome of the review of the national car test; the changes he intends making following the review; and when these changes will take effect. [3142/06]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 202: To ask the Minister for Transport if the technical standards forum recommended under the review of the national car test has been established; the recommendations of this forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3356/06]

Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Transport the action he has taken regarding the recommendations arising from the national car test review; the main changes proposed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3354/06]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 265: To ask the Minister for Transport the outcome of the review of the national car test. [3394/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 111, 202, 206 and 265 together.

The report on the outcome of the mid-term review of the national car testing service conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers for my Department was received in the Department at the end of October 2005. The Department is now in discussion with the National Car Testing Service with a view to implementing the recommendations contained in the report as soon as possible. The discussions are being conducted in accordance with the contract change procedures provided for in the project agreement between the Minister for Transport and the NCTS for the operation of the car testing service. While these discussions are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to outline the recommendations contained in the report. However, as soon as the discussions are concluded I will publish the report on the Department's website.

I have already indicated in reply to Question No. 302 of 13 December 2005 that, as recommended in the report, it is the intention to establish a technical standards forum to consider and make recommendations on vehicle technical matters associated with the national car test. I will establish such a forum in due course.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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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?

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I do not disagree fundamentally with the Deputy. The key sentence in my reply is, "The discussions are being conducted in accordance with the contract change procedures". I am tied to the procedures, which were agreed previously, relating to how the changes are to be brought about. This is what the mid-term review report feeds into. I have said to the Deputy and give my word that I would like to publish the report as quickly as possible. I have allowed some space for the Department and the NCTS staff to discuss the contents of the report. I intend to bring the discussions to a conclusion as quickly as possible and I would like to circulate the report in the public domain. One should allow reasonable time for discussions between both parties to ensure they understand the issues. The public has a right to know what was recommended in the report. The report has been produced and it has been discussed by both parties as per the procedures agreed under the existing contract and I would like to see the discussions concluded and the report published.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I agree with my colleague, Deputy Shortall. I am sure my office is no different to that of anybody else in terms of the number of complaints it receives about the national car test, particularly about the variation between centres. There is very high failure rate although the average age of cars is extremely low and falling all the time.

The issue of non-nationals having accidents while driving cars registered abroad has come to national prominence in recent weeks. The Garda highlighted that there is no test for these cars to determine their quality and no certification as to whether they passed a road-worthiness test in their country of origin. I understand the authorities in Northern Ireland have dealt with this problem by introducing the equivalent of an national car test for cars entering that jurisdiction from other countries. Has the Minister made any inquiries into this? Is it possible for us to introduce a similar system to deal with the many cars coming into the State from abroad?

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy raised a serious and important issue, of which I am well aware. I have heard much evidence about the context of how cars coming into the country are insured, the powers of the Garda Síochána to impound cars and the issue which the Deputy rightly raises, namely, the quality testing standards to which these cars should be subject. I have initiated consideration of this issue, which I would like to bring to a speedy resolution.

It is clear that due to the quality of the vehicles or the quality of the driving, or a combination of the two, the sad reality is that the number of foreign nationals — who are working in this country and welcome to do so — involved in fatal or near-fatal accidents has grown substantially in recent times. It behoves us from a legal perspective to ensure that the necessary laws are in place so the Garda Síochána and other authorities can ensure that poor vehicles are not on the road and the Garda has the power to act against such vehicles. Insurance issues also need to be considered.

The Deputy is bang on the money with regard to this issue. If all Irish drivers are subject to a high standard vehicle test, it is unconscionable that somebody from outside the country who comes to work here would have different criteria applied to him. That is unacceptable and bad for road safety.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Does the Minister agree with the welcome comments made by Conor Faughnan with regard to the real concern that existed due to the comments from the National Safety Council about the incidence of accidents involving non-national drivers? Does he agree with Mr. Faughnan that it is premature to comment on this matter as the relevant statistics have not yet been produced? We must be careful not to add to the culture of concern in this country with regard to non-nationals by bringing road accidents into the picture and depicting non-nationals as having a higher incidence of accidents, when the evidence has not been produced and when we cannot, as Mr. Faughnan noted, point the finger at anyone in terms of drink culture. Will the Minister support those comments and express concern about the original comments and how they were reported?

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I must be clear on this point. My concern is for everybody on the roads, irrespective of nationality. That is the position in which I find myself and I have no difficulty with it. I agree with the Deputy that I would not want to be seen to be picking on one sector or another. Deputy Olivia Mitchell raised a legitimate and important question in the context of the application of the NCT. No driver resident in this country should be outside the law applying to all who live here. That is not to point the finger; it is a legitimate point and simply an issue of law with regard to the process of how we develop our road safety and testing standards.

I want to be clear that I replied in that context to Deputy Mitchell. It was a fair question which got a fair answer.