Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 20 Feb 2001

Vol. 530 No. 6

Written Answers. - Transport Competency Certificates.

Jim Higgins

Question:

136 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the lower standards demanded in Northern Ireland for attainment of both the national and international certificates of competency in transport as against those in the Republic have led to total collapse of demand for the Republic's CPC examinations in the regions accessible to Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4558/01]

Minister of State at the Department of Public Enterprise (Mr. Jacob)

The Chartered Institute of Transport in Ireland – CITI – is the competent body appointed to administer the training and examination of CPC candidates within the State in keeping with standards under EU Directive 98/76/EC.

Under the terms of Directive 98/76/EC, where a person normally resident in the Republic obtains a certificate of professional competence in Northern Ireland after 1 October 1999, my Department is not obliged to recognise the CPC as valid for licensing purposes unless that person passes an additional examination set by the CITI. Consequently, no real incentive or benefit is gained by sitting the CPC examination in Northern Ireland.

Figures provided by the CITI do not support the assertion that there has been a total collapse of demand for the Republic's CPC examinations in the regions accessible to Northern Ireland. A comparison between the September 1999 examination, prior to the coming into effect of the new directive, and the June 2000 examination, held under the new rules, shows that for the country as a whole, 431 candidates sat the 1999 examination while 470 sat the June 2000 examination. The figures for the Letterkenny examination centre show six for 1999 and 14 for 2000, while the Sligo figures were nil in 1999 and 15 in 2000. Castlebar had 16 and 23 respectively. Only the Castleblayney centre showed a reduction from 85 in 1999 to 49 in 2000.

My Department will continue to monitor the standards for access to the professions and will maintain a policy of ensuring that applicants for road haulage and road passenger transport licences are adequately qualified to effectively manage and control the undertakings.