Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 February 2012
755 Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of revenue generated through the fees of driving tests and the national car testing services for 2009, 2010, 2011 and to date in 2012; the reasons the fee for an NCT was increased from €50 to €55; the reason vehicles aged over ten years will now be required to undergo a NCT each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8209/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006), the operation of the driver testing and national car testing (NCT) services are matters for the Road Safety Authority. I have referred this part of the Deputy's question to the authority for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days. The €5 increase in the NCT fee from €50 to €55 was sanctioned to take account of the VAT increase on services, the increase in the consumer price index for 2011 to help make the RSA self-financing over the coming years, thereby removing its reliance on Exchequer funding. I have indicated that there will be no further increase in NCT fees for the next three years. The effects of wear and tear on a vehicle become more evident as it ages and a corresponding increase of failure rates is seen at NCT. When NCT testing was first introduced, less than 4% of vehicles passed the test at the first attempt. Since then, the pass rate has risen steadily to almost 70% for cars which are four years old, while the pass rate on the first attempt for cars over ten years old had deteriorated to just 33%. With effect from 1 June 2011, cars older than ten years must undergo annual roadworthiness testing. Road traffic collision statistics for 2009 show that 41.5% of fatal collisions and 46% of serious injuries arose from collisions that involved vehicles that were ten years old or more, and older vehicles are also more likely to be involved in a collision. As at the end of 2011, 28% of all taxed private motor vehicles were ten years or older. For those reasons, I believe the annual testing of vehicles of ten years and older is a valuable safety measure.
