Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 13 Oct 1998

Vol. 495 No. 1

Written Answers. - Driving Tests.

John V. Farrelly

Ceist:

309 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of driving test applications received in his Department in each of the driving test centres for 1997 and to date in 1998; the number of applications that were successful and the number of failed tests; the period of waiting time from date of application to the actual test being carried out; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are people waiting more than six months before they are called to carry out their driving test; the steps, if any, he will take to rectify this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19317/98]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy)

The detailed information requested is set out in the tabular statement below. Waiting times are calculated as the longest waiting time for any applicant at a particular centre. Applicants requiring an early test for urgent reasons are, however, given tests within considerably shorter periods: at present some 40 per cent of test applicants are tested within ten weeks and some 50 per cent within 15 weeks.

My Department is responding to this unsatisfactory situation by increasing the numbers and productivity of its driver testers. Saturday testing has already been introduced. A further package of productivity measures has recently been concluded which will provide for an additional 9,000 tests per year. The Civil Service Commission is at an advanced stage of establishing a panel from which further permanent driver testers will be recruited. Additional testers are also being engaged on a temporary contract basis.

Centre	Applications Received	Results Waiting Times (at 12-9-98)	Waiting Times (at 12-9-98)
			1997	1998 to 15 August
	1997	1998 up to 2 October	Pass	Fail	Pass	Fail	Weeks
Athlone	1,147	1,089	540	455	339	269	29
Ballina	1,132	1,157	665	388	433	237	33
Birr	1,148	1,148	635	446	373	254	33
Buncrana	812	704	490	254	265	131	31
Carlow	1,858	1,953	836	668	568	454	37
Carrick-on-Shannon	1,173	1,168	706	441	398	277	35
Castlebar	2,043	2,132	1,242	646	762	484	30
Cavan	1,652	1,557	856	643	450	328	31
Churchtown/R	17,962	17,682	7,914	7,973	4,475	4,525	41
Clifden	358	318	182	144	81	80	26
Clonmel	1,710	1,664	708	616	517	467	31
Cork	7,899	8,124	4,289	2,410	2,592	1,455	41
Donegal	1,287	1,289	704	546	348	276	33
Dundalk	3,153	3,493	1,532	1,298	953	821	44
Dungarvan	1,362	1,410	647	525	412	344	35
Ennis	1,261	1,356	724	451	396	301	34
Finglas	16,191	16,580	6,731	6,461	4,890	4,433	41
Galway	3,718	3,145	1,752	1,407	1,147	852	33
Gorey	1,638	1,738	686	735	453	496	35
Kilkenny	2,039	1,084	1,031	729	686	469	36
Killarney	2,033	2,088	1,141	763	635	466	38
Kilrush	459	483	233	115	161	88	37
Letterkenny	1,938	1,914	1,159	673	673	442	31
Limerick	3,921	3,983	2,208	1,304	1,349	852	36
Longford	980	1,013	476	318	346	227	37
Loughrea	1,272	1,224	691	453	429	241	32
Mallow	2,048	2,039	1,021	686	677	471	37
Monaghan	1,505	1,432	913	483	580	345	33
Mullingar	1,541	1,665	810	572	537	343	40
Naas	5,691	5,771	2,792	2,364	1,805	1,560	36
Navan	3,515	3,361	1,611	1,271	1,028	860	40
Nenagh	811	761	343	293	246	214	34
Newcastle	1,687	1,789	900	638	614	365	37
Portlaoise	1,380	1,343	631	513	402	339	33
Roscommon	1,126	1,086	639	455	343	238	33
Shannon	851	857	460	278	268	181	33
Skibbereen	2,066	2,008	1,296	642	697	353	37
Sligo	1,759	1,681	1,094	563	631	282	32
Thurles	1,073	958	517	428	302	283	31
Tipperary	1,018	827	447	448	266	243	32
Tralee	2,172	2,315	1,146	929	774	510	39
Tuam	1,095	1,028	599	425	383	263	34
Tullamore	1,627	1,639	914	603	587	367	32
Waterford	2,396	2,687	1,139	892	679	651	37
Wexford	2,159	2,398	1,028	795	758	647	33
Wicklow	2,478	2,365	1,049	1,100	615	645	39
Overall Total	118,144	118,406	58,127	45,240	36,323	28,430	35