Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I call on the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to examine the new rules governing off-road declarations for vehicles. The new system is causing great anguish and has resulted in long queues forming in county council offices. We heard on a radio programme this morning, for example, that Kerry County Council offices are not able to deal with the queues of people seeking to tax vehicles. Currently, one can have a garda sign an RF100A form if a vehicle was off the road, after which the owner could have the vehicle taxed, but this will no longer be possible from 1 October. Senators are receiving many telephone calls from farmers who have had tractors on their land which they may only take onto the roads once or twice each year. In many cases they do not have a tax book for the vehicle or may have lost it. It would be useful to extend the deadline by one month to give people a chance to address this issue. I have also heard of cases where local authority offices have closed promptly at 4 p.m., leaving people who have been queuing to have their motor tax affairs sorted to return the following day.

Young people who have emigrated and may have a vehicle at home should be given an opportunity to tax their vehicle for one month, rather than the minimum period of three months. This would allow them to tax their vehicle when home on holidays for several weeks. It is bad enough that they have to emigrate. We should not take money out of their pockets when they return home and wish to use their vehicles for a short period. I ask for a debate with the Minister on the issues I have raised.