Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 143: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he intends to apply a 0% motor tax rate to off the road cars or any other method of ending the off the road regime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23052/12]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the Motor Vehicles Continuous Licensing Bill will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31109/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 146 together.

It is estimated that the annual loss arising from vehicle owners declaring their vehicles off the road is in the region of €50 million. Currently, owners declare vehicles off the road for the purposes of motor tax after the fact, which is effectively unverifiable and open to abuse. I intend to provide that drivers will be able to declare their intention to keep their vehicle off-the-road in advance, so that if a vehicle is not to be used on a public road for a number of months, the owner will be able to inform the relevant authorities before taking the car off the road rather than afterwards, and so avoid a liability for motor tax. The General Scheme of a Bill to tighten the procedures was approved by Government on 22 May 2012 and the Bill will be published as soon as possible once the legal drafting process has been completed.