Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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604. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in view of recent announcements to increase the penalty points for not having a current NCT test, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the current waiting time to obtain an appointment is upwards of two months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40181/14]

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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605. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of time that he considers to be a reasonable delay between seeking an appointment for an national car test and an available test date, during which time car owners are exposed to possible penalties due to a failure beyond their control, of the appointed operators of the test system to meet the current demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40182/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 604 and 605 together.

I would point out for the Deputy that it has always been an offence to use a vehicle without a valid NCT certificate and currently this is a 'straight-to-court' offence which attracts 5 penalty points on conviction. However, section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 2014, when commenced shortly, will bring this offence within the Fixed Charge Payment System and will attract 3 penalty points on payment of the Fixed Charge.

Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006), the Road Safety Authority has responsibility for the delivery of the National Car Test. The RSA has overall responsibility for the operation, oversight, development, quality assurance and delivery of vehicle testing arrangements.

I am advised that any car owner will receive an appointment within 28 days. I understand that, in order to meet this standard, in some cases, the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) holds requests on a waiting list until a suitable slot is found. In the majority of cases, customers are given a slot within the required timescale. However, if a slot is not found within 28 days, the test should be offered free of charge.

Also, to further facilitate demand, an NCT may be undertaken up to 90 days in advance of the test due date without affecting the expiry date of the new certificate. This system is in place to ensure that owners have ample time to have their vehicle tested before their current NCT certificate expires.

The RSA informs me that it is in a favourable position to deal with current demand and that the NCTS has been testing record numbers to date in 2014, with the number of vehicles tested each month being approximately 12% higher than in the corresponding months in 2013.