Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 September 2020
208. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the number of applicants waiting for a driver test nationwide; the average waiting time for driver tests; the number of driver testers employed by the RSA; if additional testers will be employed to reduce waiting times; the efforts being made to reduce the waiting times in view of the large backlogs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23281/20]
View answerThe operation of the driver testing services is the statutory responsibbility of the Road Safety Authority, and as a result I have referred the question insofar as it relaties to applicant numbers and waiting times to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response is not received within 10 days.
The driver testing service restarted during Phase 3 of the Government’s roadmap for easing of Covid19 restrictions. On 29 June, driving tests resumed on a gradual basis for trucks, buses and motorcycles (except for trucks in C1 and buses in D1 categories). Driving tests for cars, minibuses and vans resumed on 16 July. The suspension of the service during the pandemic inevitably led to backlogs. In addition, the need for compliance with health protocols inevitably reduces the throughput of test candidates at the test centres.
The RSA is prioritizing those who had a test booked before the closure of the service which was cancelled due to the pandemic, and those in essential services. The Authority is also examining ways of addressing the backlog and continuing applications in the context of the inevitable limits on throughput due to Covid restrictions. One option which may be considered is the employment of additional testers, something which has been done in the past to address backlogs. However it would be premature to make a decision on staffing at this stage, as many of the issues to be addressed deal with the throughput of centres themselves in light of the restrictions, rather than on the availability of staff.
My Department is remaining in close contact with the RSA, which is exploring how further to manage backlogs while prioritizing public health, and this process is being informed by lessons learned as centres operate under the new health restrictions.
