Vol. 555 No. 1
128 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Transport the reason for the raising of charges by NCT for passing out of taxis; if these charges are established by NCT or approved by his Department; the reason it is more expensive to check out a new rather than used car; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17662/02]
There has been no increase in the fee payable to National Car Testing Service Limited – NCTS – for an inspection of a vehicle for the purposes of a certificate of suitability for a small public service vehicle licence since this function was assigned to NCTS on 1 July 2001. In fact, arising from the changeover to the euro, the net cost of the fee has decreased from £58.33 –€74.07 – on 1 July 2001 to €74 since 1 January 2002. Following budgetary changes, the rate of VAT applicable to NCT fees increased from 20% to 21% from 1 March 2002. This resulted in the fee payable to NCT increasing from €88.80 to €89.50. The current fees payable to NCTS, including the fee for a suitability inspection, are specified in the Road Traffic (National Car Test) (Amendment) Regulations, 2002.
A certificate of suitability is required before a small public service licence can be issued for a vehicle. The inspection for such a certificate involves assessing the suitability of the vehicle by reference to the requirements of the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 2002, in addition to a standard NCT roadworthiness test. As there is no difference in the inspection carried out on a new or used vehicle, the fee of €89.50 applies irrespective of the age of the vehicle.
While the renewal of the small public service licence in respect of a particular vehicle does not require a further certificate of suitability, a standard NCT roadworthiness test is necessary at each renewal date. The cost of this test, which is the standard test carried out on private passenger cars, is €48.40.
