The information requested by the Deputy in relation to County Tipperary is an operational matter for the Road Safety Authority, and I am forwarding the query to the Authority for direct response.
If the Deputy has not received a reply within 10 working days he should contact my office directly.
I am well aware of the difficulties faced by driver testing services in addressing backlogs which developed under the pandemic. The service was closed from March 2020, reopening in stages over June and July of 2020. The service was limited again during later lockdowns, being restricted to essential workers only.
In 2020, in response to the backlog, my Department approved the retention of 36 temporary driver testers whose contracts were due to expire, and subsequently approved the hiring of a further 40 temporary driver testers, who have now been recruited and trained and are at work. Approval was subsequently given to hire a further 40 testers.
Under health protocols, the number of tests conducted by each tester per day on reopening in summer 2020 was 5, as opposed to a norm of 8 before the pandemic. This was later raised to 6 and is now at 7 tests per day.
It will take time to clear the backlog. We also have to remember that the pandemic limited people's ability to undertake the driver theory test and to receive mandatory driving lessons. As the theory test and lessons have resumed, this places further pressure on the driver testing service.
The RSA is working hard to address the backlog, but Covid is still with us and it is important to ensure that the driver testing service continues to operate in a safe way. Nearly 128,000 tests have been conducted so far this year, and it is remarkable that there has been no case of Covid transmission attributable to the driving test in that time.
