Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

If we do not need it all this winter, we will find an alternative use for it. Older cars are definitely more dangerous than newer cars. While I do not have precise statistics, I understand cars that are more than ten years old are twice as likely to be in an accident as cars that are less than ten years old. I do not know whether the reason is that older cars are more likely to be defective or that modern cars have become safer. In fairness to the previous Government, it took two measures to address this issue. First, it introduced the scrappage scheme, about which I had doubts, which provided an incentive to change cars that were more than ten years old. Many people availed of the scheme. Second, it required that all cars older than ten years have an NCT done every year. The latter measure was controversial and I received many representations complaining about it from individuals, Deputies and Senators. It is being done for good reason, however, because cars of that age are more likely to be involved in accidents. The measures introduced by the previous Government were correct. I concur with Senator O'Neill that individuals are ultimately responsible for maintaining their car and ensuring it operates within the law.

As to what additional measures could be taken, many objections were raised when the scrappage scheme was introduced, with many people arguing that, notwithstanding the fact that it supported jobs in the retail motor sector, its real beneficiaries were those who needed the benefits least, namely, workers in Germany and other countries to which the money from car purchases flowed. An alternative proposal made at that time was to introduce some form of tax write-off or discount for those having improvements or repairs done to their cars. While this proposal may be worthy of consideration, it is a matter for the Minister for Finance rather than me. None the less, I believe there may be merit in introducing such a measure rather than another scrappage scheme.