Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
310. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Transport if he will address concerns regarding the NCT raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72018/25]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Car Testing (NCT) service under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 and, as Minister, I have no function in respect of operational matters. However, my officials have engaged with the RSA on various aspects of the NCT service including quality control and monitoring.
Ireland is obliged to adhere to the minimum specified technical standards and intervals for carrying out periodic roadworthiness inspections on motor vehicles under EU law and the NCT is operated in line with the requirements of EU Directive 2014/45/EU. This is given effect in Irish law by means of the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 415/2017), as amended. These Regulations also give effect to the EU Directive in respect of testing methods and pass/fail criteria. The NCT is designed for a particular purpose, which is to ascertain does a vehicle meet certain roadworthiness tests at a point in time.
Delivery of the NCT service is currently contracted out to a third-party supplier, with the contract managed and overseen by the RSA's customer operations directorate. The service is subject to a stringent regime of independent audits and inspections carried out by the AA. More than 99 per cent of tests reviewed are deemed to be fairly and correctly assessed. A dedicated internal audit team is in place to manage allegations, investigations, and complaints. This involves random surprise audits to review vehicles that had just completed a test. Auditors repeat critical elements of the test and identify if there are any discrepancies with the original test result.
The Deputy may also wish to note that the NCT is accredited to International Organization for Standardization standards. All NCT Inspectors are fully qualified mechanics who undertake an intensive three-week training programme delivered through classroom, practical and online training methods. All staff complete Code of Integrity training upon recruitment and on an annual basis thereafter. On-site and annual training programmes are delivered every year to staff to brief them on new technologies.
