Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 February 2005
108 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Finance the reason the vehicle registration office in Roscommon is to be closed to the public; the reason alternative public access to the service is not being put in place as is the case in other parts of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6374/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that, as part of their modernisation programme, they have invested heavily in the provision of Internet based services and the Revenue on-line service, ROS, has been widely acknowledged as a major success both from a technological and customer service point of view. Revenue adds to the range of services available on ROS on an ongoing basis and during 2003 vehicle registration was added to the suite of on-line services. With the support of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, the service has become extremely popular and in January 2005 the percentage of new vehicles registered on-line reached 86%. As a consequence, the demand for contact services at vehicle registration offices has declined substantially.
The Revenue Commissioners have reviewed the implications of these changes and, having regard to the reduction in service demand, have decided to close a number of the smaller vehicle registration offices and consolidate the service in adjacent offices and to reduce the opening hours in others. Decisions on opening hours and closures were made on a case by case basis having regard to customer service demands and cost efficiency.
Revenue continues to provide a high level of service to car dealers, including dealers in Roscommon. Almost all vehicles are registered in real time, either on-line or by fax. Discussions have been held with SIMI on an ongoing basis about the new arrangements. Revenue will continue to market the use of on-line registration with a view to further increasing take-up.
