Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 484: To ask the Minister for Transport if one public consultation in respect of the review of the national car test held at the Red Cow roundabout is not sufficient; if he will hold further meetings; if further advertising of the review will be undertaken; if he will allow persons to make representations to a company (details supplied) on-line or by letter as the meeting scheduled to meet the needs of the entire Dublin area was highly unsatisfactory. [19181/05]

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The consultation process in connection with the mid-term review of the national car testing service, NCTS, was designed to facilitate maximum public participation with a range of means provided to enable persons to contribute to the review. In addition to public meetings which were held in Sligo, Tuam, Macroom, Kilkenny, Longford, Dublin and Limerick, persons could have participated in the review by making submissions on-line at www.nctsreview.ie, the specially created website for that purpose, or in writing, by post, to NCT review, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Wilton Place, Dublin 2. The notices concerning the public consultation process for the mid-term review of the NCTS were placed in both national and local newspapers and outlined the options available for contributing to the review. Media interest in the review also contributed in raising public awareness of the process. I should also point out that I wrote to each member of the Oireachtas on 22 April 2005 apprising them of the mid-term review and of the arrangements put in place to enable persons to participate in it including the venues for the public meetings.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, the professional services company, has been engaged by my Department to manage the mid-term review of the NCTS as an independent party and in that capacity it conducted the public consultation process. I am satisfied that given the level of public awareness of the review and the range of options available for participation, persons wishing to engage in the process had sufficient opportunities to do so. Accordingly, I do not intend to reopen the process nor hold further public meetings. I intend to announce any necessary adjustments to NCT arrangements, arising for this area, in the course of the next few months.