asked the Minister for Local Government what the average delay is between application for a driving test and examination; and if he will give details of the five districts where the largest delay occurs or the average is excessively exceeded.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Driving Test Delays.
46.
The average waiting period between date of application for driving test and the date of the test is at present 15½ weeks.
Testing schedules are planned to ensure as far as possible that the waiting period at each centre is close to the average with the result that at present the waiting period is 14 weeks at five centres, 15 weeks at 16 centres, 16 weeks at 18 centres and 17 weeks at three centres.
The three centres with the longest waiting period at present are Dublin, Loughrea and Newcastle West.
The average waiting period will fluctuate depending on the number of applications coming in. The period at some of the centres, notably the least busy ones, will fluctuate from time to time because it is not always economical, in terms of time and cost, to plan to keep the period at those centres very close to the average.
Could the Minister say what is the position of a person who applies for a driving test but who cannot be given the test for 14 or 16 weeks? Can he get any interim driving licence?
He can get a provisional driving licence.
Has the Minister not realised that this could be of considerable hardship for people who have that length of time to wait? Is there any possibility of taking testing officers from the areas where there is least need for them and putting them into the more congested areas as has been done in the field of justice in relation to judges?
That is done in so far as is possible. I can assure the Deputy that all the testers are kept fully occupied but there is difficulty in recruiting sufficient suitable people.
Is the Minister saying that the difficulty is due solely to the fact that he cannot recruit a sufficient number of testers?