Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 494: To ask the Minister for Transport the audit or independent evaluation which is carried out on the work of national car test centres to establish if the pressure to carry out a higher number of tests at each centre may compromise safety standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14768/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Under the car-testing contract, National Car Testing Service Limited, NCTS, is required to meet a range of performance standards for the service. These standards, which are designed to ensure test integrity and a high level of customer service, cover premises, test equipment, staff, test arrangements, facilities management, information technology and customer service.

My Department monitors the performance of NCTS to ensure it delivers the service to the required standard. To assist the Department in that function, a supervision services contractor — a consortium involving PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Automobile Association, with engineering, financial, legal, IT and operational expertise — has been engaged and is working to an agreed programme for the Department.

This programme includes: detailed monthly operational audits of the company's performance; regular controlled checks to ensure that consistent test results are obtained across the NCTS test centre network; each month reviewing the performance of a sample of vehicle testers as they carry out tests; carrying out spot checks without any advance warning on a representative sample of cars that have just undergone the NCT; carrying out detailed interviews with a representative sample of customers to assess customer satisfaction levels; and an annual review of the company's overall performance.

These measures ensure that the car testing service is comprehensively monitored and supervised. I am satisfied that the company is meeting the performance standards set for the service in the contract.