asked the Minister for the Environment if under his recent decision regarding driving licences it is now possible for a person, without a full driving licence, legally to drive a commerical vehicle provided he has an "L" plate displayed.
Written Answers. - Driving Licences.
395.
Yes, subject to such person holding a current provisional licence.
396.
asked the Minister for the Environment present Government policy in relation to driving tests and the categories of people still required to pass a driving test before any class of driving licence is granted to them.
397.
asked the Minister for the Environment if, in making his decision to grant full licences to holders of second time provisional car licences for administrative convenience, any of the following alternative options were considered which would have retained the driving test and, if so, in relation to each option, the reasons he did not avail of it: (i) reduce the normal examination time of the car test from 50 minutes to 20 minutes; (ii) extend by means of overtime the working day of the tester, (iii) extend by means of overtime the working hours of the tester into Saturday and Sunday; (iv) avail of trained personnel within the armed forces to argument the existing number of approved testers; and (v) recruit, on a contract basis, staff from the established driving schools throughout the country to augment the number of car testers within the Department.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 396 and 397 together.
There has been no change in policy in relation to the driving test and those subject to it, as embodied in the Road Traffic Acts and the statutory regulations made thereunder, outside the limited exemption which I recently announced in the exceptional circumstances which arose this year.
I reject the Deputy's suggestion that the regulations were made merely for administrative convenience. They were made for the reasons given in the public statement issued by me. I have already stated publicly that all other possible options for dealing with the urgent problem of arrears of driving tests were considered, including those listed by the Deputy, and were rejected as incapable of affording the immediate and substantial measure of relief to the members of the public who were concerned.