There is a four month wait for an NCT in Co Monaghan and a local councillor has called for additional staff at centres to deal with the backlog. Meanwhile, average waiting times for an NCT have doubled since the start of the pandemic with the lead-in time for a vehicle roadworthiness test at 24.5 days - up from less than 12 days in 2020.
Some car owners are waiting up to six months for an appointment, due to the backlog because of staff shortages. The Road Safety Authority will tell the Oireachtas Transport Committee today that mechanics from Spain and the Philippines are being transferred to Ireland to try ease the delays.
Cllr Paudge Connolly says there are consequences for not having a valid NCT. "The insurance companies may waiver the fact that you haven't a valid NCT on the basis that you have an appointment further down the road. I wouldn't like to find myself in a sticky situation and have to depend on the insurance companies for that.
"The proper thing to do is to provide the increased resources and bring down these waiting times to an acceptable level. It is just unacceptable at the moment."
