Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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693. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason, if a person with a commercial vehicle legally off the road parks it in a shed and six or 12 months later wants to put it back on the road, the reason they are requested to back-test the vehicle covering the length of time it was legally off the road; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2829/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It has always been a legal obligation that commercial vehicles be tested annually and there have never been exemptions from this requirement. Vehicles which are temporarily not in use can deteriorate during the period while they are off the road and I have no proposals to introduce an "off the road" derogation system similar to that recently introduced for motor taxation. The new certificate of roadworthiness (CRW) issuing system is aligned to the long-standing obligation to have commercial vehicles tested annually. The period of validity of a CRW is calculated by reference to the last test due date. A delay in completing the test has the effect of reducing the validity period of the CRW. The longer the delay in completing the test, the shorter the validity period of a CRW.

In cases where a vehicle is overdue its test by more than one year and is presented for testing, the Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Testing Regulations 2013 provide that the period of validity for the CRW shall be either 6 months falling after the testing date or a period of validity determined by reference to the date of the anniversary of the test due date whichever is earlier. This change was introduced so as to ensure that an operator who does not test the vehicle by the due date does not gain any economic advantage over an operator who tested their vehicle annually in accordance with the legal requirements and I have no proposals to amend the current testing requirements.