Sharon Keogan (Independent)

I bring to the attention of the House alarming news regarding the national car test, which was recently shared by a source within the motor industry. In 2021, the then Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, and the RSA facilitated Applus+, the private company operating the NCT, in hiring Filipino staff at NCT centres. This was done by lowering the educational requirement from QQI level 6 to level 5 and increasing the number of work permits for non-EEA citizens. The number of Filipino staff has reportedly risen from 44 in 2023 to more than 150. Management has been described as flying regularly to Manila to recruit batches of eight to ten staff. What is fully and truly concerning is the alleged disregard for safety standards. According to the source. Applus+ allows Filipino staff to drive test vehicles in public, illegally, on learner permits without qualified drivers present. In one case, a staffer reportedly failed the driving test numerous times. Some reportedly had no licence in their first months of work. Some drove unaccompanied on learner permits and, even after passing their test, do not display N-plates.

The company has been described as operating on a wing and a prayer. Several Filipino testers have allegedly been involved in accidents. This puts Irish customers at serious risk. The extent of this problem is now so great there is no guarantee that an NCT customer will have a fully licensed driver driving their vehicle, which will leave the customer liable to fines and legal action if anything goes wrong. It is outrageous that a Spanish company on a Government contract is permitted to flout safety rules that Irish citizens are held strictly to, lowering standards and outsourcing jobs across the globe, while more than 100,000 young people leave for Australia. All this appears to be done in pursuit of maximising profits.

I call on the Minister for Transport to appear before this Chamber to account for these revelations.