A Fine Gael TD has called for checks at all ports in the State to prevent sub-standard vehicles belonging to non-Irish citizens from getting on to Irish roads.
Meath TD Shane McEntee said cars should be impounded if they are not mechanically sound, whether the owner is coming into the country to live or to holiday.
"Customs and excise officers at the ports should be instructed to take down all the details of all cars at the ports . . . This should apply to all cars over two years of age and they should have a certificate to show the vehicle has passed the equivalent of the NCT in the country of origin of the driver," he said yesterday.
He said he had serious concerns at the impact foreign workers were having on road safety.
"Increasingly they are involved in serious road accidents. Most weeks the names of foreign workers feature in the lives lost on our roads. In many instances they are driving imported cars that may not have gone through the rigours of an NCT test or have no car insurance," Mr McEntee said.