Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 729: To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the anomaly whereby an national car test certificate runs only to the anniversary date of the registration of the car; his views on whether it is unfair as, for example, a person with a five year old car may decide at the expiry of their NCT to take the car off the road for a number of months, however their subsequent NCT certificate will not run for one year from the successful completion of the test but rather only to the anniversary date of the car's registration; if he will, in the context of the introduction of statutory pre-declaration of taking cars off the road, engage with the European Commission as allowed under Article 4.2 of DIRECTIVE 2009/40/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL to subject to special provisions vehicles which are temporarily withdrawn from circulation to correct this anomaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29482/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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EU Directive 2009/40/EC requires that cars undergo a roadworthiness test when they are four years old and every two years thereafter. Member States are also allowed to test more frequently and an annual NCT for cars ten years and older commenced with effect from 1 June 2011. In accordance with the directive, under the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 567 of 2009), the test due date is calculated by reference to the date of first registration of the vehicle.

I understand from the Road Safety Authority that factors such as non-use or failure to have a vehicle tested at the appropriate time, by either a current or previous owner, are immaterial in relation to determining test due dates. Where an NCT inspection does not take place on the original test due date, the NCT certificate is valid from the date of the test to the next test due date. This can result in a certificate of less than one or two years duration, depending on when the car was presented for a test. Currently, no provision exists to permit an extension of the period covered by a NCT certificate beyond the next test due date.

As the Deputy will be aware, there is already a process in place for declaring cars off the road. However, the current system is retrospective and open to abuse. The introduction of a statutory pre-declaration will remove the potential for abuse of the system, by requiring cars to be declared off the road in advance of those cars being taken off the road. This will mean that we will have confidence that cars which are declared off the road are actually off the road. As NCT testing is based on the testing of vehicles on their suitability for their usage on the public roads, it makes sense that the testing cycle would reflect their usage on the public roads.

In light of this upcoming change in process, I have asked my officials to engage with the European Commission to allow an exemption for cars which are pre-declared to be off the road subsequent to the expiry of their NCT certificate and therefore temporarily withdrawn from service on public roads from the requirement that testing is on the anniversary of the registration date of the car. Of course, underlining all this is that it is a road safety imperative that all vehicles are adequately maintained and fit for use on a public road and that there is public confidence in the testing system.