Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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29. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the steps being taken to reduce the backlog for those drivers waiting to obtain a national car test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23232/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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​The Road Safety Authority has overall responsibility for the operation, oversight, development, quality assurance and delivery of the National Car Testing Service (NCTS). As a result of capacity enhancements put in place by the NCTS earlier this year, I am informed by the RSA that the vast majority of test centres have either no waiting list or a very short one.  

There are now 584 Vehicle Inspectors, more than ever before.  Testing facilities were extended at the centres in Mullingar, Blarney, Portlaoise and Naas.  Longer opening hours, in the form of a third shift, are in place at Galway, Enniscorthy, Killarney and Ballina providing testing from 7 am to 11.30 pm  The majority of test centres have late openings on three days per week until 10 pm and ten centres have extended opening on four days per week. Since early March, 24-hour testing is available in Dublin and Cork.

The NCTS tested record numbers of vehicles in 2014 and in the current year, to date, the number of vehicles tested each month is an average 9% higher than in the corresponding months of last year.

The RSA would also remind customers that 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 sufficient time to have their vehicle tested before their current NCT certificate expires.