Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
238. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update on tests for driver licences in view of circumstances in which persons have been given an appointment for February 2021 but require a licence to be able to take up employment now; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28782/20]
View answerThe scheduling of candidates’ driving tests is the responsibility of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and as Minister, I have no power to intervene in individual cases.
My Department is remaining in close contact with the RSA as they deal with the increased demand for their driver testing service since operations resumed following its temporary closure due to the COVID emergency. In addition to this, due to the social distancing requirements, normal daily capacity is considerably reduced. This means that customers will experience longer waiting times than was the case before the service was suspended. The public’s patience and understanding in this regard is requested.
It is my understanding that those who had appointments cancelled due to Covid 19 are being prioritised in the first instance. Priority then will be given in order of application date. While there is some capacity for urgent test slots, the Road Safety Authority (RSA)'s capacity to make these available in all cases will be limited. Therefore, initially those who are frontline healthcare workers will be deemed eligible for an urgent test slot. This approach for prioritising customers will be kept under review as the RSA moves through the service resumption.
