Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
193. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Transport if he considers it acceptable that a young person in Donegal (details supplied) who needs a car for getting to and from college and work but lives in a rural area with little or no public transport options, should wait approximately seven months before they can book a test date, then face other possible delays before the test is conducted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42334/23]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service. Consequently, information on applicants is held by the RSA and neither I nor my Department have the power to intervene in individual cases.
On the broader issue of delays, the service has been under significant pressure to meet unprecedented demand, which has increased by 28% compared with 2021 figures. In response to these pressures, the Authority reviewed the capacity of the driver testing service and, following a request for additional resources, my Department gave approval for the recruitment of up to 75 additional driver testers. This brings the total number of sanctioned driver tester posts to just over 200. This recruitment is underway and being managed by the Authority. I have been advised that the first tranche of new recruits has been deployed this month. The additional driver testers are being allocated across the driver testing service with a focus on geographical areas with the longest waiting times and highest demand for tests. It is expected that once the full complement of additional driver testers are trained and deployed, the backlog for driver testing services will begin to decline by the end of October and agreed service levels resuming by mid 2024.
