asked the Minister for the Environment if his Department ever receives any data or are aware of the situation with regard to the implementation of regulations governing excessive fumes and smoke being discharged by motor vehicles, in particular Articles 30 and 90 of the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulation of 1963; and if he has had any recent consultations with the Garda in that connection.
Written Answers. - Vehicle Emissions.
30.
Enforcement of the Regulations referred to by the Deputy is, primarily, a matter for the Garda Síochána. The data available to my Department about enforcement of road traffic law are the statistics included in crime reports, published annually by the Garda Commissioner. I understand that a separate breakdown of prosecutions relating to emissions of smoke and fumes is not available. My Department has not consulted recently with the Garda Síochána on this matter.
I have ministerial responsibility for the scheme of compulsory roadworthiness testing of heavy goods vehicles, buses, ambulances and taxis over one year old. The roadworthiness test includes pollution/smoke tests on the exhaust systems. Analyses of the results of vehicle testing are included in the Bulletin of Vehicle and Driver Statistics which is published annually by my Department and is available, free of charge, from the Vehicle Registration Unit, Shannon, County Clare. Table 18 of the 1987 bulletin shows that pollution/smoke was not among the ten most common defects in the heavy good vehicles, buses and ambulances tested. My Department's analysis of the vehicles tested in 1988 shows that some 267 vehicles or 0.6 per cent of the 46,500 vehicles tested were failed for pollution/smoke defects.