Three staff at NCT operator sacked

THREE STAFF working for the National Car Test operator Applus have been sacked following allegations that unroadworthy cars were passed in return for bribes.

The inquiry widened yesterday with the suspension of two more vehicle inspectors, bringing to seven the number of staff who have faced disciplinary action.

Applus said last night three of the suspended staff had been dismissed. It said it was committed to ensuring “any potential for fraudulent activity within the test system is eradicated, and investigations into the allegations made will continue in conjunction with a formal report submitted to An Garda Síochána”.

Allegations of NCT fraud were identified in a Prime Timeprogramme that showed two taxis fail a test before passing a retest, apparently after a bribe was paid.

Applus is to interview every staff member about the allegations and possible breaches of its code of conduct. It is reviewing previous tests to determine whether unroadworthy cars were passed.

Applus has handed information on allegations of fraud and the provision of NCT certificates to unroadworthy vehicles to gardaí.

Three of the suspended staff are based at the Fonthill test centre in Dublin, which is the focus of the investigation, one at Kells, Co Meath, and one at Northpoint in Dublin. It is not clear at which centres the vehicle testers suspended yesterday are based.

AA Ireland policy director Conor Faughnan said if the allegations of fraud and inappropriate passing of vehicles were proven it would be very damaging to public confidence in the NCT.

Prime Timealso claimed a Dublin Bus driver was double-jobbing as a taxi driver. A Dublin Bus spokeswoman said an internal inquiry into this allegation was under way and the driver in question has been temporarily removed from driving duties.

She said drivers were employed full-time and must work in line with the working time directive. This limits staff to an average working week of 48 hours.