Although a Cork court ruling on negligence arising out of a fatal crash raised important issues for suspension testing of cars across the EU, little change has been seen to date, writes Eoin English.

The firm that operates the National Car Test last year clocked up weekly revenues of €1.52m.

The Workplace Relations Commission has ruled that Applus, the national car test firm, was right to sack a test centre administrator who is alleged to have told a customer ‘f**k off'.

A car testing centre inspector who was rear-ended while carrying out an inspection of a vehicle has been awarded €65,000 by the High Court for injuries he suffered in the accident.

The fear of getting penalty points by drivers last year resulted in the busiest year on record for the National Car Test with almost 1.5m inspections carried out.

The operator of the National Car Test centres has been criticised for conducting “a sham investigation” into the complaints of an employee who threatened to expose regular breaches of the company’s rules at one of its centres in Cork.

The firm that operates the National Car Test (NCT) hired a private investigator to spy on a tester it suspected of breaching its code of integrity.

Over 3,000 cars were slapped with “failed/dangerous” stickers and towed from NCT centres in the first half of this year.

Almost 2,000 cars were towed from NCT centres so far this year after being deemed too dangerous to be driven home.

Increased failures in the National Car Test last year contributed to bumper profits at the Spanish firm operating the test increasing by 11.5% to €4.9m.

The mother of a young woman who was killed while driving a defective car said she is "delighted" she will receive the report from the vehicle’s final NCT.

A grieving mother, whose daughter was killed while driving a defective car, has been denied access to an NCT report which could shed new light on what caused the crash.

A firm that operates the National Car Test has been ordered to pay €47,500 to a car tester unfairly dismissed by the company.

Savills Ireland have reported that they have sold a commercial premises in Monaghan Town for 13 times the value of its passing rent.

More cars are now failing than passing the NCT test each year, with drivers spending a whopping €4.4m on retest fees last year.

THREE of the seven NCT vehicle inspectors suspended for allegedly passing unroadworthy cars in return for cash have been sacked.

Three NCT car inspectors have been fired tonight, after allegations made on Prime Time last Monday.

A FULL-SCALE review of the taxi industry will be carried out to ensure better safety for consumers and regulation for drivers, Public Transport Minister Alan Kelly has said.