I wish to begin by thanking the joint committee, through the Chairperson, for the opportunity to speak to members this afternoon to discuss the issues affecting NCT centres, renewal of driver licences and the recognition of non-EU or EEA driving licences. First, in regard to the National Car Testing Service, NCTS, the RSA has overall responsibility for the NCT service; its operation, oversight, development, quality assurance and delivery. Following an EU accorded procurement process, the contract for the provision of the service for the period June 2020 to June 2030 was awarded to Applus+ Inspection Services Ireland Ltd. The service is provided at 49 test centres nationwide, including two new centres at Tuam and Navan, which became operational in 2021. NCTS currently employs 777 people. To increase capacity further, the company is also investing in new test centres in Shannon, County Clare; north Dublin; Cootehill, County Cavan; Fermoy, County Cork and Castleisland, County Kerry. This year has been especially challenging for the NCTS, due to the impact of Covid-19, which caused significant staff absenteeism levels at the test centres and in the call centre. There were also very high levels of customer no-shows and late cancellations. With the delay in the availability of new cars, there are more older cars on Irish roads, resulting in more than 1.5 million cars to be tested at NCTS this year. These multiple factors have caused a build-up of demand, as NCTS has been unable to carry out as many tests as planned.
The average lead time for an appointment for a test is currently 24.5 days. Before the pandemic, the waiting time was less than 12 calendar days. Where customers have difficulty booking a suitable slot, they can avail of the NCTS priority waiting list as not all slots are released at the same time. A proportion of slots is kept back for people applying later. As a result, the vast majority of customers who go on the waiting list are offered a test within four to five weeks of application. Use of this priority waiting list is expected to continue for some time as capacity recovers to match demand. Tests are offered all days of the week across the service, with staff also being offered overtime to further increase capacity.
Over the past two years, despite regular recruitment campaigns, the NCTS has found it increasingly difficult to recruit a sufficient number of qualified Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, level 6 mechanics as vehicle inspectors to meet the demand. This is an issue that has also affected the wider motor industry as a whole. To augment the number of vehicle inspectors, the NCTS is in the process of transferring 22 staff from its Spanish operations to the test centres that are under most pressure. A further 44 recruits from the Philippines have obtained work permits, facilitated by the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Transport, enabling up to 100 general employment permits to be issued for vehicle roadworthiness testers. Visa applications for these staff are currently being processed. Coupled with other planned local recruitment, the additional resources will enable the NCTS to reduce its backlog and shorten waiting times in the coming months. In the meantime, if customers have difficulty getting a test slot, they should go online to the NCTS website and add their name to the priority waiting list or call the NCTS directly.
As to insurance, Insurance Ireland has confirmed that its members will be pragmatic and understanding in their approach to the current delays at the NCTS. Cover will continue to be provided where customers, through no fault of their own, are unable to obtain their NCT due to backlogs at test centres. Under the current circumstances, provided motorists make every effort to book appointments in the normal way, insurance companies will recognise that the current issue is not the fault of the customer.
Enforcement of road traffic regulations is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána. We have briefed the national roads policing unit of An Garda Síochána about the current issues in the NCTS, and customers should carry proof of their test booking confirmation to produce to a member of An Garda Síochána if required. Notwithstanding this, motor insurance and road traffic legislation requires that motorists maintain their vehicles in a roadworthy condition at all times, not just at the time of their NCT. It is each vehicle owner’s legal responsibility to ensure his or her vehicle is in compliance with the law and maintained in a roadworthy condition at all times.
The NCT contract recognised that the presence of Covid-19 with travel restrictions constituted a relief event and, in accordance with the contract, this was coupled with associated adjustments to some service levels during the pandemic. Following the resumption of services in June 2020, the contractor progressively improved adherence to service levels and except for waiting times, primarily due to absenteeism and staff turnover, the contractor has met the quality and customer satisfaction performance standards required.
The National Driver Licence Service, NDLS, has come through the challenges posed by Covid-19 and is coping well with current demand. The NDLS processes learner permit and driving licence applications through distinct channels: first, online applications for applicants with a public services card and a verified MyGovID account, which is 41% of applicants; second, a postal channel for over 70s accounts for 4% of total applications; and, third, the remaining 55% of applicants apply through the network of 34 local NDLS centres nationwide.
Appointments are readily available across the network. On 6 October, we had 17,845 booked appointments with 58,401 slots, or 76.6%, available to be booked. Up to the end of September 2022, the NDLS had processed over 778,000 permit and licence applications, which compares with a normal full year of 700,000 applications. The forecast for applications is that there will be over 900,000 in the full calendar year. This increase in applications is an effect of the licence and learner permit extensions introduced as a result of Covid. The NDLS has coped with this extra demand.
Application processing times can vary depending on how the application was submitted and if there are no issues with the application itself. Over 40% of online applications and applications booked in NDLS centres are processed automatically and issued through the postal service within 24 hours of receipt. Standard applications that require verification or processing in the NDLS back office are processed within four days and issued through An Post. Applications received by post require more manual processing and are processed within 11 working days. Processing times for all application types may increase if the application is not complete and requires updates or supporting documentation from the applicant.
As for the exchange of foreign driver licences, 16,717 applications have been received by NDLS to date in 2022, of which 80.3% have been processed. Average processing time for applications received to date in 2022 was 39 days. The top five countries for licence exchange are the UK, South Africa, Poland, Romania and Canada, with 3,693, 1,618, 1,149, 857 and 614 applications, respectively.
The RSA is aware of driver shortages within the commercial driver industry in Ireland and industry recruitment of drivers from abroad continues. One such country for recruitment activity is South Africa. To date, the NDLS has received 1,618 applications for exchange of a South African driving licence in 2022, of which 89.7% have been processed. Average processing time for applications received in September was 24 days. There are various reasons for delays, such as the driver needing to submit outstanding information, for example, a medical or eyesight report, or the physical driving licence itself in the case of an online application. The most common reason is that the NDLS awaits verification of the driving licence from the foreign driving licence authority. At times, we can get a response very quickly but sometimes we can experience considerable delays from that authority.
On the recognition of non-EU or EEA driving licences, we have a driving licence exchange agreement with the following non-EU or EEA countries, namely, Australia; Gibraltar; Guernsey; Isle of Man; Japan; Jersey; South Africa; Republic of Korea; Switzerland; New Zealand; Taiwan; the UK and Northern Ireland. Also included are the following provinces of Canada, namely, Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick. The licensing system in Ireland is broadly like theirs and we agree to these arrangements. An essential aspect of any mutual licensing arrangement is that two countries initially agree to engage and explore their licensing systems, accept that licensing systems are broadly similar and put an administration system in place to manage licence swaps. The RSA is currently engaging with Argentina and North Macedonia and hopes to make recommendations on them shortly. We continue to engage with the remaining provinces in Canada and hope to commence a review of the licensing and testing system in Israel shortly.
Ukrainian driving licences are now recognised for driving in Ireland for people granted temporary protection. Prior to recognition, for a short time Ireland exchanged Ukrainian driving licences. During that time 2,241 applicants were issued with a one-year Irish driving licence. Any of those who wish to have their Ukrainian driving licence returned to them can request this but must surrender the Irish driving licence.
In closing, I hope the committee will allow me the opportunity to provide an update on the current situation regarding progress in road safety this year, which is first and foremost of all of the topics tabled.
Between 1 January and 11 October there have been 117 fatalities on Irish roads. My thoughts and RSA's thoughts go out to the families who have suffered that loss. This is an increase of 12 on this time in 2021 and of nine on 2019. While road deaths in the second half of this year are running at a lower rate than the first half, the overall trend in 2022 remains a concern, not only for the RSA but for our delivery agencies and the road safety transformation partnership, which has oversight of the Government road safety strategy. The board is chaired by the Department of Transport and comprises senior representatives of the key State bodies across transport, justice, health and education. The vast majority of actions are on track and, where challenges arise, we are working with partner organisations on monitoring these closely to ensure they stay on track. I am happy to take questions members may have in relation to our submission and my opening statement.
