John Bruton
Question:78 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he intends to abolish provisional driving licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16704/03]
Other Questions. - Driving Licences.
Paul McGrath
Question:91 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the plans he has to enforce the current legislation on provisional licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16694/03]
Seymour Crawford
Question:102 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Transport his plans to introduce interim regulations on provisional licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16695/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 78, 91 and 102 together.
Over the years various changes have been made to the regulatory conditions under which provisional licences have effect. I am considering whether further changes are desirable in this regard. In particular, I wish to bring in measures that will reduce long-term reliance on provisional licences. I am also reviewing the provision whereby holders of second provisional licences for cars are not required to be accompanied by a person who holds a driving licence for that category of vehicle with a view to ending this arrangement in the course of 2003. All other provisional licence holders other than drivers of motorcycles and work vehicles, must be accompanied by a qualified driver at all times when driving in a public place.
The enforcement of the law relating to driver licensing is a matter for the Garda Síochána.
The Minister's response is the same response he has given every time the matter is raised in the House. When will he introduce the changes promised regarding the second provisional licence? He must be more specific than some time in 2003. I know he is aware that he has already caused chaos as a result of his announcement prior to Christmas. Before he takes a decision in regard to provisional licences, will he put the resources in place to ensure people do not have to wait for six months to do the driving test? When will we see the transitional measures he promised his parliamentary party he would put in place regarding provisional licences?
We should be able to enact the necessary secondary legislation pertaining to the rule of being accompanied on a second provisional licence before the end of 2003. I am trying to give priority in this area to driving testing, which has substantially stabilised. Some 130,000 applicants are currently awaiting their driving test as opposed to 65,000 at the end of 2002. Applications have now fallen to approximately 4,000 a week, which is slightly in excess of the normal weekly intake at this time of year. We have a capacity to undertake 200,000 tests per annum. Based on all these statistics, and receiving approximately 250,000 applications this year, the average waiting time for a test is now 16 weeks. Agreement has been concluded with the Department of Finance whereby a special arrangement is made with existing testers to employ retired testers to augment rapidly this figure and add to the number of tests being carried out. I am confident I can put a hole in that backlog.
The reason I am telling the Deputy this is that I want to keep the pressure on to make this happen. All the people I need to conduct these reforms are currently up to their necks in this. I want to make substantial progress in this area and I will then move rapidly in relation to provisional licences. It is not satisfactory to have so many people relying long-term on provisional licences – some 358,845 as of April this year, which is not satisfactory.
Will the Minister appoint additional testers – I know he is bringing back retired testers – given that there are qualified testers in other areas such as the Garda, FÁS, Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and the Army? These people could be brought in on a temporary basis to try to relieve the current backlog and ensure people are accommodated with a driving test within a short time. Will the Minister give some outline of the type of transitional arrangements he is proposing to introduce towards the end of the year or early next year?
We are having discussions with the trade unions in regard to additional staff and I hope we will have further discussions in that regard. I would like to employ additional testers if practicable. I do not want to bog down the system in trade union issues. My preference is to keep the pressure on and get the existing band of testers to do extra time at weekends. Overtime is now available as a result of the deal with the Department of Finance to bring back previous testers. We are making solid progress in this regard. A point should be made about waiting times for driving tests. If someone is going to take a course of lessons, get instruction, get a provisional licence and prepare for a test, it probably should take 16 weeks anyway. It should not be possible to decide on a Monday morning to become a driver, fill in some forms, do a test on Friday and be called a driver having managed to get through the test. In any case it is reasonable to expect someone to prepare for the test over a period of weeks and not just happen to be lucky on one day with a test. In that regard a couple of months is eminently reasonable. A person would not do a leaving certificate examination at short notice, but would put a few weeks into it.
If that is the case, perhaps the Minister will introduce a syllabus. People would not do a leaving certificate examination without a syllabus and would certainly not do so if 50% of the people sitting leaving certificate examinations failed them, which is the case at the moment with the driving test. They would not do leaving certificate examinations if those in one part of the country had a pass rate of 55% and those in another part of the country had a pass rate of 35%. Does the Minister agree that the system has broken down because of the discrepancies that exist? Will he ensure that in the short term we will see the implementation of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the driving test system and that we will see an overhaul of the system that will deliver a quality trained applicant at the end of the process?
There is room for improvement.
Dramatic improvement.
The testers are experienced, trained civil servants, who do a fine job. They are under considerable pressure and my job is to try to get additional resources for them, which I am trying to do. A register of driving instructors has been established and a driving agency Bill is in preparation. These changes will bring dramatic improvements.
The legislation has been in place since the introduction of the 2002 Act.