Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

226. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason the National Car Test Service requires the owner of a vehicle to present a driver's licence or public services card at test centres in order to be given their NCT certificate and disc; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22449/23]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017 (SI 415 of 2017), provide the legal basis under which proof of identification is required by an NCT test centre when a vehicle is presented for roadworthiness testing. The Regulations permit a test centre to withhold a vehicle’s test certificate until identification has been produced. The Data Protection Commissioner has deemed a driving licence to be the most appropriate form of identification for this purpose, as a driver is required to produce a driving licence when operating a vehicle in a public place.

The Regulations also permit the details from the identification to be recorded by a test centre. The data recorded is held for 12 months and then deleted. As the Data Protection Commissioner would not permit recording and retention of passport details, the use of a passport for identification was discontinued. If a driving license cannot be produced at the test centre, a Public Services Card may be used.