Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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583. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will address the serious concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding the national car test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48905/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Changes to the penalty points regime which came into effect on 8th December last were legislated for under the Road Traffic Act 2014.   Those changes relate to a range of measures, including the National Car Test (NCT) system, which contribute to making our roads safer for all users and I do not propose to revisit them. It has, for some years, been an offence to use a vehicle on public roads without a valid NCT certificate. Prior to the recent change, this offence involved a direct summons to court and the assignment of 5 penalty points on conviction. The provisions in the 2014 Act brought this offence within the fixed charge notice system. An alleged offender will now be issued with a fixed charge notice and, on payment of the €60 charge, will have 3 penalty points assigned to their licence. The driver will, of course, continue to have the option of going to court where 5 points will still apply on conviction.    

I understand from the Road Safety Authority that any car owner should receive an NCT appointment within 28 days and 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.  

The RSA has run a campaign over the past few months to encourage people to book early, as the test may be undertaken up to 90 days in advance of the due test date without affecting the expiry date of the new certificate. This system is to ensure that owners have ample time to have their vehicle tested before their current NCT certificate expires.

Enforcement of the relevant legislation is a matter for An Garda Síochána. If a person’s NCT test date is imminent, it will be a matter for the Gardaí to use their discretion. However, responsibility rests with owners and users of vehicles to ensure their vehicles are in compliance with the law.