Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2021
263. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Transport the reason a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath has been allocated with an appointment for the driver theory test in August 2021 given that they had a confirmed test date in June 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31369/21]
View answer264. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Transport the reason a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath has been allocated an appointment for the driver theory test in August 2021 given that they had a confirmed test date in June 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31375/21]
View answer265. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Transport the reason a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath has been allocated with an appointment for the driver theory test in September 2021 given that they had a confirmed test date in June 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31376/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 263, 264 and 265 together.
The Driver Theory Test Service has now re-opened on a gradual basis with a maximum monthly capacity of 25,000 tests initially.
This means that while there are currently over 25,000 customers with an appointment for a Theory Test in June, some appointments will be rescheduled to a later date. Customers who cannot be accommodated in June because of volume restrictions will have to be rescheduled. The RSA have advised that there is no need for candidates to contact the Theory Test service - affected customers will be contacted directly. They are being resceduled into next available slot in their chosen location.
The test centres have extensive COVID-19 measures in place to protect both customers and staff and to ensure the safe delivery of the service. It is hoped that capacity will gradually increase to 50,000 tests per month over time, if public health guidance permits.
The RSA has been working to deliver an online theory test service, with a pilot online test already underway for trucks and buses. This pilot service has now been extended to include a limited number of car and motorbike tests.
The new offering will see 4,000 online theory tests available for all categories of vehicles per month. Tests are available on a first-come-first-served basis with the new online service becoming more widely available later in the year. From mid-June, the RSA plans to increase this by a further 2,000. Online services will be made more widely available towards the end of 2021.
