John Deasy
Question:388 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the average length of time it takes to replace squad cars which have been involved in accidents and are inoperable. [12828/03]
Written Answers. - Garda Transport.
In the event of a Garda vehicle being involved in an accident, the Garda driver forwards a completed MT15 form to the fleet management section immediately. The MT15 is a preliminary report of the accident which notifies the fleet management section of the occurrence of the accident and the circumstances surrounding it. The public service vehicle inspector will then assess the damage to determine the viability of repairing or replacing the vehicle. Should the vehicle be deemed repairable, three competitive tenders must be obtained before final approval will be given for the repair to be carried.
The decision on sanction for repair or replace will normally rest with the technical inspector. If the damage is relatively minor and the vehicle repair can be completed in a short space of time, local management may be able to cope from within existing resources. Where this is not possible, every effort is then made to provide a temporary replacement from the fleet management section while the repair is being carried out. The timeframe for having the car returned to service after minor repairs is normally no longer than two to three weeks. In most instances, for minor accidents, this time is considerably less.
For major repairs and where it is not possible for local management to manage from within existing resources, a replacement car will be provided, depending on availability, as soon as possible. Should the vehicle be deemed a write-off, a new vehicle will be issued as soon as possible, again subject to availability. If a new vehicle is not available immediately, a temporary replacement may be issued, pending the availability of new vehicles. This process should normally take no longer than two to three weeks and in most instances will be less. In dealing with the replacement of vehicles each case is dealt with on its merits and the urgency of the situation.