Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all the words after "that" and substitute the following:

Seanad Éireann

notes that the contract between the Minister and the National Car Testing Service, NCTS, requires NCTS to meet specified performance standards with respect to premises, test equipment, staff, test arrangements, facilities management, information technology, customer service and public information;

notes that failure to meet the specified performance standards renders the company liable to substantial financial penalties;

acknowledges that the company has not been liable to any such penalty since testing commenced on 4 January 2000;

acknowledges that NCTS's consistent good standards of customer service are evidenced by the results of independent surveys of NCTS customers;

notes that at the Minister's insistence the contract signed by the Minister and NCTS in December 1998 provides for a mid-term review of the car testing operations by the Minister;

acknowledges the Minister's intention to carry out a detailed examination of all aspects of the service as part of the mid-term review;

notes that a public consultation process will be an integral part of the mid-term review commencing in January 2005;

recognises the Minister's commitment to oversee the implementation of any changes identified as worthwhile in the mid-term review;

acknowledges that the standards of service, including waiting times for test appointments and for tests and retests in the Dublin area compare favourably with those enjoyed by NCTS customers elsewhere in the country and further acknowledges that Dublin test centres are strategically located so that car owners have ready access via a modern road network to high volume purpose-built facilities that deliver the customer service and other performance standards set out for NCTS in the contract with the Minister;

notes that in 1996, the then Government determined that a single contractor was the most appropriate form of service provider to carry out car testing in Ireland and notes additionally that that decision was well grounded by reference to subsequent experience of the NCTS with respect to test integrity, best practice and value for money;

registers that the distribution of testing centres through the country that results in over 90% of car owners driving no more than 30 miles to their nearest centre, strikes a fair balance between customer convenience and the amount of the test fee, while leaving customers free to decide at which test centre to have their cars tested;

recognising:

that competition in car testing would be meaningful only on the basis of differentiated test fees or testing standards;

that variations in testing standards would constitute a substantive road safety risk and;

that competitive pressure for test fee variations would place unsustainable pressure on testing standards;

acknowledges that a single contractor appointed on foot of an international competition run in accordance with EU procurement law to test cars to a common set of performance standards is the most cost effective service delivery model for car testing at the present time and;

acknowledges the company's ongoing commitments to delivering the car testing service to the highest standards of test integrity and customer service, while making important contributions to road safety, to environmental protection and to the economy locally and nationally.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, to the House. This is his first visit to the House in his new role of Minister of State at the Department of Transport. If he brings the same level of enthusiasm and vigour to this job as to his previous Ministry we will expect great things of him.

It is important to reflect on some of the points raised by Opposition Members. The national car test was introduced in order to implement the requirements of an EU directive. That is why the NCT system was put in place. National Car Testing Service Limited was awarded a contract to test cars on behalf of the State for a period of ten years from January 2000.

The Private Members' motion makes reference to the widespread public concern relating to the national car testing system. While issues have been raised with regard to the system, I am concerned that charges might be made against the company because I believe it is doing its job as set out in the contract agreed with the Government. I am surprised by some of the comments made by Members and by the text of the motion.

As Senator Finucane has said, there is concern regarding the move from fail advisory to fail. Much of this concern results from the way the system was established from the beginning. A series of issues surrounding the feasibility of car testing was identified and those which were critical were introduced immediately. A change in driving culture was encouraged and the need to assist people in accepting the move to the new testing procedure was recognised at the outset. It was decided that certain elements would be phased in over two or three years. People are aware of that and its success has been borne out in many cases.

Senator Finucane referred to the 50% failure rate. I know of many people who no longer take their cars for the pre-test. They are more likely to take the NCT and to let the NCT people identify the problems which need resolution. They find this a cheaper method of identifying their cars' problems and they can then go to a garage and have the work completed in line with the findings of the NCT service.

It is clear that may be one of the reasons for the higher failure rate. I would raise question marks about the lack of consistency in some of the pre-NCT tests that are being undertaken by garages. It raises more questions about the garage that carries out the pre-NCT test than it does about the people operating the NCT centres.

The motion refers to allowing a series of garages to provide the NCT test. Given the concern about the lack of consistency, there is potential for a uniform approach to the test. Without such uniformity, the system will collapse. We have regularly debated the lack of consistency in the planning process because planners are allowed to make individual decisions. If we moved away from the current model and delegated responsibility to local garages in order to make it easier for people to do the NCT test, I would be concerned about a loss of consistency. There would be no benchmark against which to operate.

Road safety was a critical part of the NCT's introduction. It was the primary driver behind the EU directive which set the car testing process in train. Many of us are regularly on our feet in the House talking about a weekend of carnage on the roads. We must concentrate on identifying better testing methods in garages which must have the necessary technology to ensure they are properly qualified to operate pre-NCT tests. We must focus our attention on the garages' capabilities in this regard. During the week I had to deal with two car headlights which had blown. I called into a well recognised garage to get the bulbs replaced but the service was appalling.