Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Dec 1998

Vol. 498 No. 6

Written Answers - Driving Tests.

Nora Owen

Question:

136 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of testers employed region by region to carry out driving tests; the number on the waiting lists, region by region; the average length of waiting time for a test; and the amount of overtime paid in 1997 and to date in 1998 to testers in each region. [28184/98]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy)

Following is the information requested:—

Region	Number of testers assigned	Applicants on waiting list	Maximum waiting time	Average paid in 1997	Overtime paid in 1998
				£	£
North Leinster	18	19,235	49	25,846.41	24,372.96
South Leinster	16	20,843	45	42,896,85	44,183.40
West	9	9,032	36	15,287.25	16,366.44
North-West	7	8,878	41	25,454.21	20,611.15
South-East	10	11,211	40	31,681.64	32,012.78
South-West	14	17,905	44	28,294.31	25,760.33

The waiting periods shown refer to the longest time that anybody has to wait on average in each region. Applicants requiring an early test for urgent reasons are facilitated where possible and while this figure is not available on a regional basis, nationally some 50 per cent of applicants undergoing the driving test are tested within 15 weeks of applying. The overall national average waiting time for a driving test is now 19 weeks.