Computers to speed up motor tax system

December 1995

It is hoped that the new computerised motor taxation and vehicle and driver licensing system, to be introduced at Wexford County Hall in the new year, will substantially speed up the amount of time it takes to renew motor tax or have a driving licence issued or renewed.

Wexford is the pilot area for the new system, details of which were revealed by Environment Minister Brendan Howlin on Monday. He said £1 million worth of computer hardware will be installed in the Motor Tax Office in Wexford and the Vehicle Registration Unit in Shannon. These two systems will come into operation in 1997, and are due to also be implemented in the remaining 29 Motor Tax Offices over the subsequent two and a half years.

The Minister said the new system will replace the existing National Vehicle File, which has been in existence since 1979.

There will be significant benefits from the new system, not least a major speeding-up of processing time when renewing motor tax. At present it can take six to eight weeks for a new tax disc to be issued after a motorist sends payment to County Hall, causing problems in particular for those who choose to renew tax for just three months at a time. Under the new system, it is hoped that new tax discs will be sent out within a fortnight.

It will also make it possible for a motorist to renew their driving licence at any office in the country, for example in the case of where a Wexford person is now living and working in a different part of Ireland.

Minister Howlin expressed the the hope that Motor Taxation Office staff would ‘embrace’ the new technology and see the benefits it can bring to the motorist.