Minister says NCT operator should be fined for 'unacceptable' delays

The Cork NCT Centre in Little Island. Picture: Dan Linehan

Minister of State Jack Chambers has said that the operator of the National Car Test (NCT) should be penalised for the "unacceptable" delays road users are facing.

As of last month, there is a backlog of around 414,000 motorists waiting for a test.

Applus, which holds the contract for the NCT, has come in for criticism from Mr Chambers, a junior minister in the Department of Transport, in the last few months.

Speaking on Monday, he again reiterated the need for sanctions against the operator.

Confirming that the average wait time for a test is now 30 days, Mr Chambers told News at One: "The delays are absolutely unacceptable and are causing great concern to many motorists, excessive worry and anxiety, and it's a complete failure by Applus to operate the service as per the contract with the Road Safety Authority."

Jack Chambers: 'Applus need to pay serious penalties.' Picture: Clive Wasson

Mr Chambers said he had written to the RSA to express his "ongoing annoyance" with the "dysfunction and the effect it is having on motorists and road safety".

He added: "I think Applus need to pay serious penalties for this dysfunction and the non-performance of their contract.

"There's a dispute between the Road Safety Authority and Applus on the penalties… I’ve written to the Road Safety Authority, re-emphasising the need for penalties to be paid, and that goes into millions at this point.

"This an important contract and service that's outsourced from the Road Safety Authority, and where they're not adhering to the service level agreement, they should be paying penalties and I think that needs to be brought to conclusion very quickly."

Mr Chambers also noted that Applus also had issues with the NCT's website when trying to book a test.

He said: "Now I know when people log on to the website, they could see an appointment many months [away], but that's because of another issue with the website, which Applus needs to address."

He added that more than 4,000 people had received a free test since the reinstating of the customer charter.

He said: "Many more, I expect, will receive a free test because the current dysfunction from Applus doesn't appear to be progressing at the targets that they had previously set."