Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim céad fáilte roimh an Aire. Tá aiféal orm nach raibh mé anseo nuair a bhí sé ag tabhairt a óráid, ach tá cóip de anseo agam. I apologise for my absence for the Minister's speech, during which I was at another meeting.

The national car test, NCT, was introduced in 2000. It is clear to all that the standard of vehicles on the road is much higher now than it was in 2000, the level of pollution from cars has decreased and the problems caused by these issues have been alleviated. The reasons are myriad and include improved industry standards generally, better consumer knowledge of the vehicles they choose, improved driving, the phasing out of leaded petrol and greater enforcement by the Garda. It is also clear that tests such as the national car test are of benefit to road users, pedestrians and the environment. That said, the way in which such a test is administered should be open to change and should not be written in stone. The NCT could be done much differently and I will make some obvious points that raise questions about how it is operated and the way in which it could be reformed.

In October 2014, it was reported that the NCT had delivered a clear profit of €5 million to its operator, an increase of more than 11% on the previous year. This report came amid other reports that record numbers of cars were failing the national car test and the high demand on the service was causing delays. Such delays increase the costs for car owners and further line the pockets of the multinational parent company. The NCT is not operated by a semi-State company or commercial body supported by the Government, such as the Irish Aviation Authority. It is a publicly tendered service, which was awarded to a company owned by a multinational company, Applus, which made a profit of approximately €1.6 billion in 2013. Applus has a track record of running these types of testing services and has expertise in the field. The NCT system is operated, by and large, by Irish management and the tests are carried out by workers who learned their skills in this country. It is not an incredibly difficult test to emulate and it is not necessary to outsource the project and have millions of euro sent out of the country.

The NCT service should not be about profit, shareholder dividends or bonuses for chief executives. When that is the case it creates potential problems such as those we have seen in Dublin and other cities where clamping is used by companies for profit. The NCT should be operated by a semi-State company with sufficient independence to enforce safety and without fear of political interference. The provision of the service should be at the core of everything the company does. It sticks in the craw of members of the public, who are asked to buy into the idea that the NCT is a necessary safety procedure, that they must regularly fork out such large sums to pass a test, the operator of which is sending substantial profits overseas. This also calls into question decisions made in national car tests and public confidence in the NCT system. There is a problem when profit is the motivating factor, as is the case with a company such as Applus.

A total of 52% or more than 650,000 of the vehicles which presented for the NCT did not pass the test last year. While some cars should fail the test and be deemed unroadworthy, citizens' confidence in the system is undermined when test failures deliver more profit for the private company operating the test system.

The variation in pass and fail rates in certain centres is also a matter of concern. In one centre, for example, the fail rate was 39%, while in another it was 67%. The Road Safety Authority noted a range of factors, such as the average age of vehicles tested at individual centres, their mileage, maintenance and the condition of local roads, which can lead to a variation in the figures. The gap between pass rates is so large, however, as to make these factors questionable excuses.

A full test costs €55 and a retest costs €28. These are significant sums for motorists who already pay more to have their vehicles on the road through higher fuel, motor tax and insurance costs. Figures show that approximately 200,000 vehicles on the road do not have NCT certificates, which is unacceptable. Enforcement is key to stopping this practice but, unfortunately, the effects of the Government's austerity policies have limited the ability of the Garda to deal with the issue. While driving without an NCT certificate is dangerous, it is inevitable when waiting lists for NCT centres are so long. One of the reasons for the long waiting time is the number of retests required as a result of the 52% failure rate. In some centres, the waiting list is as long as three months. This cannot be allowed to continue given that private transport is vital in allowing people to travel to work in large parts of the country. We speak a great deal about making Ireland attractive to investment and a good place to do business. A country which cannot test the roadworthiness of vehicles efficiently enough to allow people to use the vehicles they need for their daily activities arising from the lack of public transport is not attractive to anyone.

In recent days, I have raised the issue of car dependence and other transport related issues in the House. Transport in Galway is close to my heart and the Minister is aware of the city's transport problems from his recent visit to the city to launch a new bicycle scheme. I call on him to engage with the local authorities in Galway city and county on the plan proposed for what was previously known as the Galway bypass but which has developed into an inner city transport plan. The proposed routes are unacceptable to citizens. We need a proper study of the city's transport needs, one which examines bus services and the possibility of introducing a light rail system, taking into consideration factors such as the location of schools, car journey destinations, etc. It should also examine whether there is a case for the planned bypass.