Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2022
265. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 193 of 19 January 2022, if he will give further consideration to addressing issues at national test centres (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4749/22]
View answerAs indicated in the previous answer to which the Deputy refers, even before Covid not all driver testing centres offered facilities to persons choosing to accompany test candidates.
In the interests of public health, since reopening the driver testing service, the RSA has restricted access to those centres which previously offered waiting rooms and toilet facilities. As the statutory body responsible for the operation of the driver testing service, it is a matter for the RSA to determine, in light of evolving public health guidance, when those facilities might safely be made available again.
On the matter of the details supplied, I am advised that section 12 of the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 relates to duties of employers to those who are not their employees but who work in workplaces under the control of those employers.
In the circumstances cited, this is not the case. Driving instructors are neither employed by my department nor the RSA. Nor does their work require them to be in test centres.
