Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 263: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason the NCTS reports that it takes up to one year for it to receive notification of a change of vehicle ownership from his Department; the steps he intends to take to ensure that change of ownership notifications to NCTS are processed as quickly as possible in order that the car owners receive proper notification of due national car tests; if the delays are due to problems in manual or automated systems; the steps, both manual and automated, that take place from the date of receipt of a change of ownership notification at his Department in order to fully propagate the change through all systems, including to the Departments of Finance and Transport and other agencies routinely notified by his Department of a change of ownership; the average and maximum time each step takes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11302/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Recording of changes of vehicle ownership on the national vehicle and driver file, NVDF, takes place centrally at the offices of my Department in Shannon, County Clare. In excess of 22,000 such notifications are received each week. There is no undue delay in updating the NVDF records, which are manually updated, and a vehicle registration certificate issues to new owners within five working days of receiving the notifications. As an extension of the successful online motor tax service for first taxing and renewal of tax, I am currently examining options to enable approved motor dealers to notify ownership changes to vehicles purchased and sold by them.

Relevant NVDF extracts are transmitted electronically to the national car testing service, NCTS. Initially in mid-year, in order to facilitate NCTS planning and test roster arrangements, a major file is sent containing details of all cars scheduled for testing in the following year. This file is supplemented on a weekly basis with details of changes, including changes of ownership, which occur subsequently. Work is currently under way further to enhance the data exchange arrangements between the NVDF and NCT systems. The new arrangements will include the facility to furnish NVDF updates to NCTS on a daily basis.