Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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18. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport If he will examine the way the contracts for the national car testing system are awarded in light of the recent crisis at the NCT centres and the ongoing industrial relations issues at an organisation (details supplied) and the inability to retain and recruit suitably skilled staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10460/23]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Car Testing (NCT) Service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and it is the RSA which is responsible for the award and management of the contract for the NCTS with its contractor, Applus Inspection Services Ireland Ltd.

As Minister of State for Transport, I do not have a role in operational matters for the NCT, including the appointment of personnel by the NCTS or the conditions of their employment in that capacity. Accordingly, industrial relations issues are matters for the RSA and Applus. All NCTS staff are employees of Applus.

As is the case for all State bodies, the performance of the RSA is subject to periodic review, as part of my Department’s ongoing corporate governance responsibilities. I recently met with the RSA Chair and Chief Executive and we agreed to initiate a review with the Authority, the terms of reference of which will include the management of services and related procurement issues.

I am aware of the challenges that the RSA and the NCTS are currently facing and the impact that this has for vehicle owners seeking test appointments. Over the past 2 years, despite regular recruitment campaigns, NCTS has found it increasingly difficult to recruit sufficient qualified mechanics to meet the demand for car tests. The shortage of qualified mechanics is a significant capacity constraint. To address this, 110 inspectors were recruited in 2022 (including 44 recruited from outside the EEA). Recruitment of qualified vehicle inspectors is ongoing, with a cohort of 599 testers now in place and a further 8 currently in training. New testers are assigned to the test centres with the most significant delays.

Increasing testing capacity is not an overnight solution. However, as I have said on the floor already, the national average waiting period for a test appointment has now been brought to just under 26 days and is expected to continue to decrease. We can expect considerable progress over the next few months towards a target average waiting time of 12 days, which the RSA has stated is its aim to achieve by end June.