Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

A couple of weeks ago we debated the pros and cons of the national car test. It has come to my notice that Garda vehicles are exempt from the national car test. Surely the safety of gardaí is as important as that of any other citizen in the State. We should not ask gardaí to take cars out on the road which do not have the proper safety measures in place. The Minister announced a traffic corps last week and can bring new cars to Dublin from various divisions around the country. However, he should be asked to ensure the Garda has the proper resources in its vehicles and has proper vehicles to drive when going out on our behalf to fight criminals. The Minister should be asked to address that problem as a matter of urgency.