Vol. 510 No. 6
42 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of applicants awaiting a driving test at the latest date for which figures are available; the average length of waiting time for a test at each centre; the reason for the long delays; the steps, if any, being taken to reduce the waiting time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23305/99]
67 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the plans, if any, he has to reduce the waiting times for driving tests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23431/99]
81 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of people who are waiting for driving tests in the Dublin area; the length of time waiting; and the plans, if any, he has to reduce this to ensure greater safety on the roads. [21058/99]
92 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the plans, if any, he has for a new driving test system; the way in which this will facilitate the queues for driving tests being reduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21057/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 42, 67, 81 and 92 together.
Some 94,900 applicants are at present awaiting driving tests. Of these, approximately 32,000 have been given test appointments and a further 14,000 have indicated that they are not currently available to be tested. Some 29,000 of the 94,900 applicants are awaiting tests in the Dublin area. The longest waiting times in the Dublin area are 59 weeks in the Finglas-Raheny centre and 47 weeks in the Churchtown-Rathgar-Tallaght centre. The average longest waiting time nationally is some 29 weeks. However, applicants who require a test for urgent reasons are being given earlier appointments: about 25 per cent of applicants are tested within 15 weeks. Average waiting times have not been compiled for each centre due to limitations in the IT systems involved.
Applications for driving tests are now running at more than a third above earlier levels, driven by exceptional conditions of economic growth. In 1998 an all time record of 146,000 test applications were made to my Department and applications in 1999 are running at an even higher level.
Significant additional resources have been allocated to the driver testing service, which now numbers 101 testers compared to 66 in 1998. Together with recent productivity agreements and Saturday working, this has increased the testing capacity of the service by over 90,000 tests to some 202,000 tests annually. Two new test centres have been provided in Tallaght and Raheny.
As I have indicated in replies to previous questions, I am determined to bring progressive and substantial improvement to the quality of the driving test service provided for the public; and in particular to end present excessive and unacceptable waiting times: a maximum waiting period of ten weeks is being targeted by the end of next year.
