Vol. 515 No. 3
78 Mr. Rabbitte 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 the 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 for tests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5988/00]
At 31 January 2000 some 89,400 applicants were on the waiting list for a driving test. Of these, some 28,700 have been given test appointments and some 15,600 have indicated that they are not currently available to be tested. Due to limitations in the IT system, involved information on the average waiting time by centre is not available. The current position in relation to longest waiting periods by test centre is however set out in the table below.
Very 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 over 200,000 tests annually. Two new test centres have been provided in Tallaght and Raheny. I will keep under review the question of recruitment of further testers, as necessary, to meet a quality service target of ten weeks maximum waiting time by the end of this year. As indicated in reply 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 this year.
|
Test Centre |
Longest waiting period (weeks) |
|
North Leinster Region |
|
|
Finglas |
48 |
|
Dundalk |
22 |
|
Mullingar |
17 |
|
Navan |
27 |
|
South Leinster Region |
|
|
Churchtown/Rathgar/Tallaght |
43 |
|
Gorey |
21 |
|
Naas |
35 |
|
Tullamore |
13 |
|
Wicklow |
26 |
|
Test Centre |
Longest waiting period (weeks) |
|
West Region |
|
|
Athlone |
23 |
|
Birr |
21 |
|
Castlebar |
39 |
|
Clifden |
21 |
|
Ennis |
23 |
|
Galway |
30 |
|
Loughrea |
26 |
|
Roscommon |
25 |
|
Tuam |
25 |
|
North-West Region |
|
|
Ballina |
28 |
|
Buncrana |
16 |
|
Carrick-on-Shannon |
21 |
|
Cavan |
25 |
|
Donegal |
15 |
|
Letterkenny |
39 |
|
Longford |
26 |
|
Monaghan |
22 |
|
Sligo |
23 |
|
South-East Region |
|
|
Carlow |
28 |
|
Clonmel |
22 |
|
Dungarvan |
22 |
|
Kilkenny |
30 |
|
Nenagh |
21 |
|
Portlaoise |
21 |
|
Thurles |
22 |
|
Tipperary |
24 |
|
Waterford |
26 |
|
Wexford |
33 |
|
South-West Region |
|
|
Cork |
49 |
|
Killarney |
35 |
|
Kilrush |
29 |
|
Limerick |
39 |
|
Mallow |
37 |
|
Newcastle West |
43 |
|
Shannon |
39 |
|
Skibbereen |
38 |
|
Tralee |
33 |
|
Regional Average |
|
|
North Leinster |
29 |
|
South Leinster |
28 |
|
West |
26 |
|
North-West |
24 |
|
South-East |
25 |
|
South-West |
38 |
|
Overall Average |
28.1 |
