Tag Archives: nct

CLARE Independent TD Michael McNamara has said he has received confirmation from the National Car Testing Service that two locations for an NCT centre have been identified in the Shannon area. In May the NCTS confirmed that the development of an NCT Centre at the Smithstown Industrial Estate Smithstown halted “due to significant contractual difficulties.” Deputy McNamara, who has been pressing for a second NCT Centre for County Clare, said he has received confirmation from the NCTS that two alternative locations have been identified. “Construction work on the new centre had already commenced at the Smithstown Industrial Estate as far back as last summer, including the erecting of the centre’s steel structure, and it was expected that the centre would be operational by the end of 2021,” he said. “It was disappointing to hear that the development would not be proceeding at the site. However, I am delighted to learn that two new site locations are currently being evaluated.” Deputy …

THE wisdom of Nelson Mandela was cited at the monthly meeting of the local authority when no less than 12 members called for a new system to make sure that all motions adopted result in action on the ground. “Vision without action is just a dream, action without vision just passes the time, and vision with action can change the world,” said Councillor Cillian Murphy quoting the late South African leader. “It is relatively easy to have a motion passed here on the council, but the real work is ensure there is a follow-up.” Along with 11 council colleagues of all parties and none, Councillor Murphy asked the authority to devise a publicly-accessible system to record all motions, official responses and follow-up actions. “Many motions come from environs outside these walls and arise from conversations with constituents,” he noted. “It can be very wearying to track what progress has been made and we must prove to constituents that action is being taken. What we are proposing would …

Most industry estimates for 2013 new car sales were predicting 75,000 units, but the final figure for the year will be around 1,000 short of this figure. By contrast, in the commercial side, sales finished 3% up on 2012, so perhaps businesses are feeling more bullish than consumers. The used car market was also well up but there’s a concern that a 25% increase on used vehicles into the country might result in sharp practices and buyers should be cautions, particularly if they suspect a car they’re looking at was not originally sold in Ireland. “With a shortage of used stock in the country, unsavoury practices are more evident than ever in the used car market” said Michael Rochford, Managing Director of Motorcheck.ie. “We encounter the horror stories on a daily basis, and now more than ever consumers considering the purchase of a used car need to protect themselves from clocking, badly repaired write-offs and vehicles under finance” he continued. …