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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Sen Fiona O'Loughlin
Kildare senator, Fiona O’Loughlin has said that reports of the NCT’s decision to go cashless are unacceptable and has written to the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD to intervene to protect vulnerable consumers.
O’Loughlin said: “We all know that cash is becoming less and less used, especially amongst our young people, but it is still legal tender and many people still rely on it for day to day essentials.
“The proposal from the NCT to go cashless must be stopped in my view. This not a luxury, an NCT is a legal requirement, and no one should be precluded from accessing the NCT service independently.”
Sen O'Loughlin added that many people, especially our older people rely on cash, and "we need to be mindful of those who are not tech savvy, or in some case do not even have bank accounts, let alone online banking.”
She noted a key goal of government has been to support older people to live as independently as possible for as long as possible, and forcing transactions online takes away an element of financial independence, which is totally wrong.
O’Loughlin concluded: “The NCT has a duty to be accessible to all citizens, regardless of age, and most certainly regardless of payment method. I am calling on the Minister for Transport to intervene here.”
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