Prospects for the early return of NCT testing do not look bright following comments made by the Minister for Transport Shane Ross in the Dáil. Despite the fact that most garages will fully reopen on Monday May 18th, it appears that the resumption of vehicle testing may be many months away.  

The Minister was responding to questions from Independent TDs Danny and Michael Healy-Rae about both vehicle tests and driver tests. He said, "The reality is that driving tests will be very, very difficult to introduce under social distancing, and it would be because the distance between people when they're in cars together is so close… similar with NCT tests." The minister added that his department would be guided by advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team on both matters.

NCT testing has been suspended since March 28th and there must now be some concerns about the road worthiness of some vehicles. With garages getting back to work and introducing some innovative working practices to enable social distancing, its disappointing for the aftermarket sector that there appears to be little urgency in relation to the resumption of the NCT.