Clare Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley has written to Minister Jack Chambers urging the Government to address the significant delays experienced by those trying to access a National Car Test (NCT) service appointment across the country.
Senator Dooley highlighted the serious issues caused by the backlogs and calls for regulations to be adapted to ensure that individuals who have applied for an NCT test on time not be penalised for any delays they face with the current backlog.
The Clare Senator emphasised that those who apply for a test on time and face a delay should be given their licensing certificate from the date of the test, and not from when their previous certificate runs out.
The Department of Transport is currently engaging with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the service provider to ensure more staff are brought in to get through the backlog. However, in the meantime, Senator Dooley insists that those facing delays for a test should not be penalised.
Senator Timmy Dooley stated, “It’s inconceivable that we would have a situation where delays by a service provider operating a state contract result in citizens being penalised for delays not caused by them. The Government must ensure that drivers aren’t penalised for a lack of service being provided by the operator of the NCT service.”
The issues surrounding delays at NCT centres across the country have been well noted and have received much coverage within the media. Senator Dooley urges the Government to recognise that these backlogs are causing serious issues for people and that no concrete solution to the issue is in sight.