Sharon Keogan warns of alleged NCT safety breaches after APPLUS hires
Sharon Keogan raised concerns in the House about the national car test operator APPLUS, alleging mass recruitment of Filipino staff and systemic safety breaches. She said the minister and the RSA facilitated changes in 2021 and called on the Minister for Transport to appear before the chamber to account for the revelations.
Allegations about hiring and recruitment
Keogan said that in 2021 the minister and the RSA facilitated APPLUS in hiring Filipino staff for NCT centres by lowering the educational requirement from QQI level 6 to 5 and increasing work permits for non-EEA citizens. She reported that numbers grew from 44 in 2023 to over 150, and that management has been flying to Manila to recruit batches of 8 to 10 staff.
Safety and licensing concerns
The speech set out allegations that APPLUS allowed Filipino staff to drive test vehicles on learner permits in public without qualified drivers present. Keogan said some staff failed the driving test numerous times, some had no licence in their first months, some drove unaccompanied on learner permits, and some do not display end plates after passing.
Incidents and customer risk
Keogan said several testers had allegedly been involved in accidents and argued this ‘‘seriously puts Irish customers at risk.’’ She warned there is no guarantee a customer will have a fully licensed driver operating their vehicle, which could leave customers liable to fines and legal action if anything goes wrong.
Contractual and economic critique
She described it as outrageous that a Spanish company on government contracts could be permitted to flout safety rules, lower standards and outsource jobs while over 100,000 young people leave for Australia. Keogan said the changes appear driven by a pursuit of profit and demanded that the Minister for Transport appear before the chamber to answer for the allegations.
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Leader, today I rise to bring to the attention of this House alarming news regarding the national car test recently shared by a source within the motor industry. In 2021, Minister Hildegard Nocton and the RSA facilitated APPLUS, the private company operating the NCT, in hiring Filipino staff at NCT centres. This was done by lowering the educational requirement from QQI level 6 to 5 and increasing work permits for non-EEA citizens. The number of Filipino staff has reportedly risen from 44 in 2023 to over 150. Management has been described as flying regularly to Manila to recruit batches of 8 to 10 staff. What is fully and truly concerning is the alleged disregard for safety standards. According to the source, APPLUS allows Filipino staff to drive test vehicles in public illegally on learner permits without qualified drivers present. In one case, a staff have reportedly failed the driving test numerous times. Some reportedly had no licence in their first months of work. Some drove unaccompanied on learner permits. And even after passing their test, do not display end plates. The company has been described as operating on a wing and a prayer. Several Filipino testers have allegedly been involved in accidents. This seriously puts Irish customers at risk. The extent of this problem is now so great that there is no guarantee that an NCT customer will have a fully licensed driver driving their vehicle, leaving the customer liable to fines and legal action if anything goes wrong. It is outrageous that a Spanish company on government contracts is permitted to flout safety rules that Irish citizens are held strictly to, lowering standards, outsourcing jobs across the globe while over 100,000 young people leave for Australia. All this appears done in pursuit of maximising profits. So I call on the Minister for Transport to appear before this chamber and account for these revelations. Thank you.
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