Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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19. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has received correspondence from an organisation (details supplied) regarding changes to the Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021 and the national fleet database; when he intends to respond to the organisation; and if a copy of this response can be made available to all members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55803/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that I have received this correspondence from the Irish Road Haulage Association, and that a reply is issuing this week.  I would be happy to provide a copy to members of the Transport Committee.

By way of context, the project for a national database to contain information on motor insurance policies is well-advanced.  Legislation underpinning it was partially commenced in 2019, since which time the bulk of the necessary data has been uploaded to the database. 

However, legislation is necessary to complete certain aspects of the database and is included in the Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021.  Fleet policies are a particular issue, as typically vehicles are added to and removed from fleets quite frequently.  Drivers employed by fleets, and therefore covered by fleet insurance, can also change during the course of a year. 

In order to maintain up to date details, it is quite reasonable to expect fleet owners to provide updates of data on their drivers and vehicles, so that the Garda can check via the database to see that given drivers and vehicles are in fact covered by insurance.  A period of 14 days to allow for the simple process concerned is quite reasonable.  In fact, we will not require uploading of data on vehicles which are held in a fleet for less than that time.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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20. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the current rate of “islander” car tax; the basis on which this is paid; if cars taxed for “island only” use are exempt from undergoing the NCT; the steps that he intends taking on ensuring that it is attractive for islanders to purchase plug in hybrids or electric vehicles for island use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55806/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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A concessionary rate of motor tax for island vehicles was introduced in 2001.  This applies to all vehicles, not just passenger cars, unless the vehicle in question has a lower annual rate of tax (e.g. motorcycles or vintage vehicles). The current annual rate for island vehicles has been set at €102 since 2013. It applies to motor vehicles which are kept and used exclusively on an offshore island to which there is no direct road or bridge access from the mainland.

In respect of vehicle testing, motor vehicles that are used exclusively on islands that are not connected to the mainland by road or bridge, and that have less than 5,000 inhabitants, are currently not subject to roadworthiness testing.

There are a number of incentives in place to encourage the purchase of low emitting vehicles including:

- Vehicle Registration Tax relief of up to €5,000 for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for vehicles with an open market selling price of less than €50,000;

- a purchase grant scheme that provides up to €5,000 for the purchase of a private BEV and up to €3,800 for a small commercial BEV.  In both cases, this applies to vehicles with a selling price of between €14,000 and €60,000; and

- a home charger grant of up to €600 towards the installation cost of a domestic charge point for new and second hand BEV or plug in hybrid vehicles.