asked the Minister for the Environment the number of driving licence testers and supervisors currently employed by his Department, the number of applications for licences received in each month from January to April 1980, and the average number of applicants processed by each tester in each week during this period.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Driving Testers.
25.
There are at present seven supervisory driver testers and 60 driver testers employed in my Department. The numbers of applications for the driving test received in my Department in the months January to April, 1980 were 3,561, 4,712, 3,877 and 3,778, respectively. Approximately 40,000 appointments for the test were arranged, that is, at the rate of 40 per driver tester per week, but of course all applicants for whom appointments are made do not turn up for test.
Would the Minister not agree that on the basis of the evidence here, and bearing in mind that a substantial proportion of applicants do not turn up for tests, we have now an amazing situation in which there are 67 staff employed in the month of May 1980 to try to find people to do tests for them, and that these staff are virtually working at about 30 or 40 per cent of their normal potential?
The Deputy is making statements again.
I would like to be helpful on this. It is very difficult to know whether or not they are. It all depends on how long it takes to do the test. Secondly, I cannot account for anybody who does not turn up for a test. That is a matter then to be decided by the local authority as to whether or not they want to issue a licence.
Would the Minister not agree that the net effect of the statistics he has given here today is that the decision of last October was one of the most inept organisational decisions ever taken?
The Deputy is making statements again. He has said that already about three times.
Would the Minister not agree that that was one of the most inept decision ever taken by any Minister resulting in a situation in which a staff of 70, after a couple of months now have virtually nothing to do and are running around the country trying to find people to do the test.
The Deputy is making statements. We cannot continue on in this vein. We cannot continue accusing people of being—
But Deputy Barrett is criminally responsible.
The Deputy will have to withdraw that statement. It is not in order in the House to accuse anybody of being criminally responsible. Would Deputy Desmond please withdraw that charge and allow Question Time to continue?
I will not withdraw it. It was outrageous.
Would Deputy Desmond withdraw that charge, please?
I will not withdraw it.
Well, then I will have to ask Deputy Desmond to leave the House.
I will.
Nobody knows better than Deputy Desmond that that is completely out of order.
I will. I rarely have to do to.
Thank you, Deputy.
I regret that this tone has entered in.