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End-of-Life Vehicles.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 May 2008

Thursday, 8 May 2008

Questions (19)

Mary Upton

Question:

14 Deputy Mary Upton asked the Minister for Transport when he will publish the report into the presence of Irish and foreign registered car write-offs on roads here; the contacts his Department has had with the Revenue Commissioners as regards information on the number of car write-offs on roads here; if he will reform the National Vehicle Driver File to tackle the problem of car write-offs; his views on a compulsory reporting system for car write-offs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17331/08]

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Written answers

My primary focus at this stage is to obtain details from insurers of vehicles that have been written off in recent years for comparison against the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) and to determine the extent to which written off vehicles may still be in circulation. I can report that, with the assistance of the Irish Insurance Federation, the insurance industry has agreed to make the necessary data available voluntarily. I expect that the process of obtaining this information and validating it against the NVDF will be completed over the coming months.

As a first significant step, data relating to some 5,400 written off vehicles which has already been provided voluntarily to my Department by one major insurer has been analysed against the 2.4 million active vehicles on the NVDF. The analysis revealed activity on the NVDF file after the date of write off in respect of a relatively small number of vehicles and the Department has written in recent days to the registered owners of some 261 vehicles which the records indicate may still be in use on public roads.

I am also committed to establishing a framework going forward so that there is an effective system in place which ensures that all write off instances are notified to my Department and properly recorded. My Department has been informed of the deliberations of an informal review group established to examine this issue chaired by the RSA and representative of the Revenue Commissioners, An Garda Siochana, and the NVDF. Further consultation with relevant stakeholders is required. This element, which could involve introducing a voluntary code of practice for all concerned, will be progressed when the verification exercise for all insurance write off data against the NVDF is completed.

The alleged importation of write offs from abroad is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners who are responsible for the registration of vehicles. Discussions are currently in progress between that Office and my Department in relation to possible arrangements for noting NVDF records of the write off status of imported vehicles where that information is available at the time of registration.

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