Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 October 2014
377. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he will take to address the problems facing road hauliers regarding the high cost of road tax and test fees, which are creating circumstances in which some contractors are relocating in Britain. [39124/14]
View answerIn response to concerns raised by hauliers about the cost of running a haulage operation in Ireland, an interdepartmental group chaired by my Department was established in February of this year to assess the implications of introducing a pay-as-you-go road tax system for HGVs. The group is made up of representatives from the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Sport; Environment, Community and Local Government; and Finance; the National Roads Authority; the Road Safety Authority; An Garda Síochána; and Forfás.
The remit of the group is to examine the technical, regulatory and economic dimensions of any pay-as-you-go charging system for HGVs in Ireland. The group had expected to finalise its recommendations in the summer of this year, as previously reported by my predecessor as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The initial work carried out by the group has raised additional issues for their consideration, leading to a deferral in the finalisation of their report. I have given the group additional time to complete their work to ensure that the report is as comprehensive as possible and it is expected before the end of this year.
In the meantime, any reform of the motor tax system is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.
The obligation to carry out roadworthiness testing of vehicles is common across the EU and the cost of the tests in Ireland compare favourably to those in other Member States.
