James Bannon (Fine Gael)

As has been proven, the condition of a car is totally insignificant in road accidents. The National Road Safety Council cites a statistic of less than 1% so it could be concluded that the NCT is not influencing the reduction of road fatalities.

National car testing became compulsory as a result of an EU directive and was introduced in Ireland in 2000 resulting in cars more than four years of age being subject to testing. The current contract was awarded to SGS and is subject to a review in 2005 which will include the public consultation period promised by the Minister of State. I hope that will come on stream. Under EU regulations, the test includes brakes, exhaust emissions, wheels and tyres, lights, steering and suspension, chassis and under-body, electrical systems, glass and mirrors, transmission, interior, fuel system and miscellaneous items.

In the term "miscellaneous items" we can see the nub of the motorists' problem. It is open to interpretation, as I am sure the Minister of State will agree. What one centre regards as a small, unimportant paint scrape could result in failure in another. This has happened.

As I stated, the failure rate is increasing annually. In 2001, 62% of cars passed first time round. In 2002, the figure was 53%.