Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 235: To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the measures used by the Revenue Commissioners to detect foreign registered cars present here who fail to re-register after 12 months; the number of estimated vehicles which fall into this category; the number detected for this offence in 2005 and 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4229/07]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that their officers, who are based at numerous locations around the country, carry out regular and ongoing checks to identify and deal with breaches of Vehicle Registration Tax Regulations as regards the use of foreign registered vehicles in the State. Revenue also periodically carry out co-ordinated national enforcement campaigns to detect infringements of the law in this area.

Details of enforcement activity focused on foreign registered vehicles for the years 2005 and 2006 are set out below. The significant increase in the number of vehicles challenged during 2006 reflects the efforts being made to tackle abuse in this area

The Revenue Commissioners also inform me that while the law, in certain circumstances, provides for exemption from the registration requirement for foreign registered vehicles brought temporarily into the State, there is no requirement for such vehicles to be presented to the Revenue Commissioners to avail of the relief. Therefore, the details of such vehicles are not normally captured or held in the vehicle registration system and data on the number of persons availing of the temporary exemption at any particular point in time, or who have availed of it prior to registration, is not available.