Vol. 537 No. 4
118 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will grant a special concession to taxi owners under the national car test scheme whereby their vehicles will be tested without delay. [16411/01]
The National Car Testing Service, NCTS, is required by the contract with my Department to operate to specific performance standards, including customer service standards. These provide for an average lead time for a test at an individual test centre of less than three weeks with a free test in the case of an individual lead-time that is greater than four weeks. The overall average test lead-time for all test centres must be two weeks or less.
The test scheduling approach to operations is necessary for the orderly conduct of testing and to support compliance measures. Additionally, it would not be practicable or cost-effective to provide testing on demand on an ongoing basis because of the need to reserve staff and other testing resources to meet unpredictable levels of demand for tests.
The company recommends that new applicants for taxi licences would make an appointment for a test whenever they are making an application to the licensing authority for a licence. In the case of tests for licence renewals, owners would generally be aware of the renewal date and would consequently be in a position to make timely test arrangements.
In the event of an urgent requirement for a test, such as in the event of a replacement vehicle following an accident, NCTS will make every effort to accommodate an owner with an early test when it is informed of the circumstances.
