Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for Transport the plans he has to review the pass and fail criteria of the NCT; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10984/04]

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Transport the plans he has to review the NCT contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10983/04]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 83 together.

A contract was signed with national car testing service, NCTS, in December 1998 to provide a car testing service for the State from January 2000 until 31 December 2009. Under the terms of the contract the performance of NCTS is subject to an annual review which can cover the results of NCT inspections, the results of planned or random sample test inspections, the results of customer satisfaction surveys, the audited financial statements, the company's financial position, customer complaints, the extent of compliance with performance standards and quality accreditation matters.

The main inputs to the annual review are generated by the Department's ongoing supervision of the NCTS with the assistance of a consortium consisting of the Automobile Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The consortium provides the Department with the necessary engineering, financial, legal, operations research and market research inputs in order to gauge the company's performance against the specified performance standards.

In addition, the contract provides for a mid-term review to take place five years into the contract, that is, at the end of 2004. While the mid-term review will cover matters dealt with in annual reviews, its overall focus will be more strategic in nature. It is my intention prior to the mid-term review to seek comments from all interested parties for consideration as part of the review.

I have no plans to review the criteria for refusal of a NCT certificate. The national car test was introduced in order to implement the requirements of EU Directive 96/96/EC relating to the roadworthiness testing of passenger cars. The directive specifies the items to be tested as part of a vehicle test. The NCT reflects both the requirements of the directive and those laid down in national regulations relating to the standards which a vehicle must meet for use on a public road.