Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In recent times the House has frequently discussed the need for job creation and protection. I ask the Minister for Finance to recognise, when framing the budget, that the motor industry in Ireland employs in the region of 40,000 people. I ask him to ensure the budget will not reduce this number in the coming year. I appeal to him to consider, in particular, the introduction of a mid-year vehicle registration system. Rather than having every purchase registered at beginning of the year, one could encourage sales in the second half of the year. This issue has been debated in the public domain recently. Doing what I suggest would provide a mid-year stimulus for the motor industry. Traditionally, there has been a significant number of sales in January and very little activity later in the year. It is believed that instead of purchasing a car in the second half of a given year, one is better off waiting until the beginning of the following year.

If there was a change of number plate from which it was easily identifiable that the car was purchased in the second half of the year, it would stimulate some activity in the trade. I understand there is some equalising to be done with the vehicle registration tax system regarding older vehicles versus newer models. When restructuring the system, I hope the Minister will not make it a disincentive to change one's vehicle in the coming year. I also appeal to him to ensure the incentives already in place for electric and hybrid vehicles remain after the budget. The car industry employs 40,000 people. It has seen a drop from the 2007 figure of 50,000. We want to ensure we retain the current employment levels in the trade in 2013.