Vol. 572 No. 3
135 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Transport the number of drivers on provisional licences; the average waiting time for driving tests; and his views on whether the current position in this regard is conducive to road safety. [23089/03]
The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which holds and administers the national driver file, has advised me that the number of provisional licence holders was 358,845 as at 10 April 2003.
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 75 on waiting times for driving tests. The current provisions relating to driver licences and testing contribute to the formation of drivers. Further policy initiatives in the area of driver licensing and testing will form part of the new road safety strategy. In addition, developments at EU level in this area will be monitored and taken account of.
Question No. 136 answered with Question No. 125.
Question No. 137 answered with Question No. 114.
