David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter. The national car test, NCT, is a vitally important innovation. It has saved lives and made our roads and vehicles safer. Most people are obliged to have their cars tested every three years. An issue arises, however, in the context of the long waiting lists for car tests in some areas, particularly where I reside. I am aware of one centre at which the waiting period for an NCT is four months and of another at which it is three and a half months. These waiting times are unreasonable. People should be able to expect to have their cars tested within one month of applying.

This is becoming an extremely serious issue because the penalties for not having a current certificate are severe. One's car can be impounded, one can be fined up to €2,000 or one can be imprisoned. I suggest, therefore, that the Minister consider changing the regulations in order that such penalties might be waived in instances where people already have appointments for tests but where the relevant date is beyond the expiry dates on their current certificates. I am aware that people can apply 90 days prior to their certificates expiring and all kinds of advertising campaigns, etc., are in train to try to encourage them to do so. However, people are only human and they often wait until a month or six weeks prior to expiration before applying for the test. They then discover that they will be obliged to wait for four months for a test. Does this mean that they are obliged to keep their cars off the road for a month or six weeks while they await tests? Does it mean that when they drive to the test centre, they are breaking the law? Will such people have the penalties imposed if they are intercepted by the Garda? As I understand it, this is a straight-to-court offence.

As already stated, this is a serious matter and it is unreasonable to expect people to wait for up to four months in order to obtain a car test. In order to overcome this problem, the number of test centres should be increased, facilities should be put in place to ensure that people can have their cars tested in an efficient, effective and timely manner or that the penalties should be waived in circumstances where someone can prove that he or she applied for the test - in good faith - and that his or her car is due to be tested at a date which is later than the expiry date listed on his or her NCT certificate. This is a reasonable proposal and I ask the Minister to consider it. From the end of the current year, serious changes will be made to the system. People should be able to apply for the test a month before their NCT certificates are due to expire and they should be given an appointment for a test within a reasonable period thereafter.

Perhaps the Minister might indicate what are the current waiting times at each of the 47 NCT centres throughout the country, particularly in respect of online bookings. Obliging people to ring up and wait for a cancellation before being granted a date for a test is a cause of stress. Motorists must often take time off work in order to have their cars tested. This is a serious issue for all kinds of reasons. Will the Minister outline what is the average waiting time and what are the longest and shortest times? Why is it that it can take up to four months to have one's car tested in some areas, whereas in others it takes much less time? Will the Minister indicate the number of people who have been offered free NCTs this year as a result of their not being offered a test within 28 days? If he does not have that information with him, perhaps the Minister might forward it to me. Will he indicate the number of cars on the waiting list for tests in general and also the number that are on the emergency or urgent waiting list as a result of the fact that the certificates relevant to them are due to expire within 28 days?

I do not want to name particular locations but, as already stated, there is one centre where the waiting period is four months and another at which it is three and a half. I checked the position in respect of a number of centres this morning and discovered that people who apply for tests today will be obliged to wait until 10 February, 18 February, 24 February or 25 February before they can have their cars checked. Obviously, such dates lie well beyond the period in which one is reasonably expected to have one's car tested. This is a serious matter and I ask the Minister to deal with it in a serious fashion.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this important matter. I will not be able to provide answers to all the questions he posed. I will, however, revert to him on those to which I am not in a position to respond now. I will be able to address some of the broad points he has raised.

I agree with the Deputy regarding the importance of NCT certificates and the difference they make in terms of ensuring the safety of cars and their occupants. It is correct that there is currently a strong demand for car tests but I have been informed by the Road Safety Authority that, in national terms, the system is well capable of meeting existing demand. I have figures in my possession to support this assertion. If the Deputy is in possession of figures which indicate that this is not the case, I would be very interested in his supplying them to me in order that I might follow up on the matter.

I wish to make clear that, as Deputy Stanton noted, since 2009 it has been an offence to use on public roads a vehicle which does not have a valid NCT certificate. At present, this is a straight-to-court offence which attracts five penalty points on conviction. What I will be doing shortly - by commencing section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 2014 - is bringing this offence within the fixed charge payment system. This will give people who are found not to have valid NCT certificates the option of receiving three penalty points on payment of the fixed charge rather than, as is currently the case, being automatically required to go to court where they will then receive five penalty points on conviction. There is a change taking place in order to allow for a larger proportion of the work relating to these offences to be deal with outside the court system. People who take the option to which I refer will, as already stated, only receive three penalty points. I am seeking to have the change in question implemented soon and this has given rise to the increased demand to which the Deputy refers.

The National Car Testing Service, NCTS, is required to achieve an average waiting time of no more than 14 days for full tests and no more than seven days for retests, with no individual test centre having a waiting time exceeding 21 days for full tests or 14 days for retests. The average waiting time in 2013 for a full test was 11.6 days and 4.4 days for a retest. In the first quarter of this year, the average waiting times were 11.6 days and 3.5 days, respectively. In quarter 2, these times were 12.1 and 3.3 days, respectively and in quarter 3 they were 10.9 and 2.88 days.

The RSA informs me that the NCTS met all performance standards in regard to waiting times in 2013 and to date in 2014. There has been some suggestion that there is currently a large backlog of customers waiting three months or more for a test. I am informed that this is not the case nationally.

Customers who need an early test are currently getting a test appointment, on average, within two weeks, with the vast majority getting their appointments within four weeks. Retest appointments are, on average, booked within three days. I will respond further when I hear what the Deputy has to say.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I invite the Minister to go online, enter a car registration number and see what appointment date he is given. We did it this morning and noticed waiting periods of four months and three and half months in two test centres in my part of the country. In other areas, we were given the date of mid-February. Averages are averages but I am interested in individual areas where there are spikes and considerable demand. Our research this morning does not confirm what the Minister just said, unfortunately. Perhaps I am missing something.

People are now being urged to apply for their test 90 days in advance. This indicates there is considerable pressure on the online system. This means some test centres are working very hard and doing great work. This is essential and I am not in any way saying it is not but I am saying certain people are under pressure to have a test done on time and to obtain a valid certificate. If their cars are not tested on time, they must take them off the road or ring up to try to get an emergency date. An emergency date might not suit because people may be at work or otherwise, as the Minister knows.

I invite the Minister to get his officials to check individual test centres around the country to determine the online position of each of them. In some, the waiting period might be a number of days but I know from the information I gleaned this morning that the waiting periods in some are months. A very close friend of mine applied on 27 October and received a date of 26 January. I saw the documentation and know that is exactly the case.

This is an important issue. If it cannot be resolved and long delays continue to obtain, will the Minister consider being lenient in the shorter term towards people who apply in good faith and are given a date way beyond the expiry date of their certificate? They apply in good faith but cannot have their vehicles tested on time.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Let me respond to the various points the Deputy put to me. The first concerned the online indication as to when an appointment can be secured. I have discussed this with the Road Safety Authority and have been told that the indicator shows the average waiting time but that if somebody who needs an NCT to meet his legal requirements telephones his centre directly, he will receive an appointment time inside the required deadline in the vast majority of cases. From my contact with the Road Safety Authority on this matter, which has been raised with me by constituents and other Oireachtas Members, I have learned the authority is clear that if the time on the website does not meet the needs of the vehicle owner, he should contact his test centre. All steps are being taken to give people an appointment time that suits their needs.

Regarding the second point the Deputy made, I will certainly check further to determine whether there is any regional trend behind the national average times that should be of concern. I have been assured by the Road Safety Authority that this is being managed to ensure people can get their NCT certificate granted or renewed.

Let me consider the Deputy's final question, on changing the implementation period or lead time. This has been advertised for quite a while and it has been the subject of radio advertising to raise awareness. I am planning to enact the measure in early December to make the important change happen. I expect that if people's NCTS test date is due to fall within a reasonable period, the Garda will exercise discretion. I will examine the regional allocations to note whether they correspond with the trends alluded to by the Deputy. However, I must stress again, from having checked with Road Safety Authority, that if contact is made with the NCTS by telephone, an appointment can be given in the timeframe that meets one’s needs.