Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 January 2024
181. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport to outline the steps he proposes to take to reduce the unacceptable and inordinate delays for driving tests, currently standing at in excess of six months, at the driving test centre in Portlaoise. [2753/24]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service. I have therefore referred the Deputy's question to the RSA for detailed reply in relation to the Portlaoise test centre. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response is not received within 10 days.
Regarding driver testing delays more generally, the service has been under significant pressure to meet unprecedented demand. Anticipating ongoing demand pressures and following a request for additional resources last year, my Department gave approval for the recruitment of up to 75 additional driver testers. This brings the current total number of sanctioned driver tester posts to 205, which is more than double the 100 sanctioned testing posts in June 2022.The first tranche of new recruits were deployed last September and the national average waiting time for invitation to test has been decreasing since then. By the end of 2023 there was an increase of 41 driver testers across the driver testing service, with additional testing capacity deployed to the geographical areas with the longest waiting times and highest demand for tests.Sanction remains in place for the Authority to increase the number of testers to further alleviate current pressures on the service. My Department is working closely with the Authority to monitor demand and capacity requirements of the driver testing service to ensure it meets the agreed service level of average wait times of 10 weeks, which the Authority expects to achieve by mid-2024.
