Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 20 May 2003

Vol. 567 No. 1

Written Answers. - Driving Tests.

John Deasy

Ceist:

360 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Transport the number of applications received on a weekly basis for driving tests; the number of driving testers currently employed by his Depart ment; the number of tests carried out by each tester on a weekly basis; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that from the date of application it is currently 30 weeks before someone can sit a driving test in Dungarvan, County Waterford; the measures his Department is taking to improve this system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13867/03]

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan)

The number of applications for a driving test varies each week. The 2003 average to date is 6,450 applications a week, the bulk of which were received in the first quarter of the year. Applications are currently about 4,000 a week.

At present there are 113 driver testers, ten supervisory testers and one chief driver tester employed by my Department. Each tester conducts 40 driving tests during a normal working week; a reduced number of tests is conducted if the tester is working away from his/her headquarter centre.

The longest waiting time in Dungarvan is now at 29 weeks. The average waiting time, which is derived having regard to waiting times experienced by individual applicants in Dungarvan during the last four weeks, is 20 weeks.

Discussions between my Department and the Department of Finance are continuing on a package of measures to address the backlog of driving test applications, and I expect that these will be finalised shortly.

John Deasy

Ceist:

361 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Transport the reason a replacement tester was not sent to Dungarvan, County Waterford, recently when the original tester was on sick leave; and if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties and additional cost that this poses for people who were due to sit their driving test due to time off work and extra driving lessons. [13868/03]

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan)

My Department has a procedure in place to provide cover where a driver tester is unable to conduct driving tests at short notice. However, it is not possible to provide cover in all such cases. I recognise that this causes inconvenience to candidates scheduled for test and every effort is made to minimise the number of tests cancelled by my Department. Where a candidate, whose scheduled test is cancelled due to the unavailability of the tester applies to my Department with details of expenses incurred the question of the reimbursement of such expenses will be considered.

Question No. 362 answered with Question No. 351.