Seán Sherlock
Ceist:84. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport if he will address matters raised by driving instructors (details supplied). [9409/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 24 February 2021
Ceisteanna (84)
Freagraí scríofa
I would like to make the Deputy aware that the operation of the tests is handled by the RSA. As many of the suggestions raised are operational matters, I have also referred the question to the Authority for direct reply. If a reply has not been received within 10 working days, the Deputy should contact my office.
The Department has been in discussions with the RSA on how to return to the normal target for the maximum waiting time for the Driver Testing Service. It is clear that it will not be possible to arrive at this quickly, given restraints which must be in place due to the pandemic. It is important to recognise that there are no quick fixes and that the continuing build-up of applications as the pandemic goes on means that it will take time to reach a normal waiting time.
I am happy to comment on the matters raised, where it is appropriate to do so.
1. Stop all “check tests
Under provisions set out in S.I. No. 203/2009 - Road Traffic (Driving Instructor Licensing) (No. 2) Regulations 2009 the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is legally required to carry out a check test of an Approved Driving Instructor every two years at the very minimum. This test takes the form of an observation by an RSA examiner of a lesson given by the instructor to a learner driver and is considered an essential element in the regulation and continuous professional development of driving instructors.
Driving is a complex and multi-faceted skill and instructors shoulder a considerable responsibility in teaching their students to behave safely and responsibly on the roads at all times. It is for this reason that it is imperative that the RSA have a means of ensuring that all instructors maintain the highest of teaching standards in the years after they have completed their initial qualification. It is important that we do not allow the current pandemic to unnecessarily undermine the very significant progress we have made in reducing the impact of road collisions on public health and health services.
I further understand that the RSA, since resuming check tests in September, has drawn upon a provision in the 2009 regulation permitting the conducting of a test with the examiner playing the role of the learner driver rather than the learner driver themselves. This provision will serve to limit the number of people present in the vehicle for the duration of the check test from three to two and thus reduce the public health risk accordingly.
4. ADIs to use the facilities at test centres.
Operational arrangements at test centres, including the availability of waiting and washing facilities, are a matter for the Road Safety Authority. I understand that the Authority decided to temporarily close public toilet and waiting facilities in the interests of public safety and as part of its overall Covid-19 resumption of service protocols and in line with health and safety risk assessment procedures which had to be adopted as part of the RSA's resumption plans. It took account of guidance issued by the Health and Safety Authority and the return to work safely protocol agreed by the Labour and Employer Economic Forum, LEEF.
In response to a formal request from Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton to review these arrangements, the Authority wrote to the Department in November outlining the absolute necessity of retaining these safety measures. While the Authority recognises that this may be inconvenient for partners, family members and indeed driving instructors who accompany learner drivers to their tests, the fact remains that the more people who enter a building, the greater the risk of Covid spreading. The safety of staff and the public in general must remain the Road Safety Authority's number one priority at this time.
6. Increase the number of testers
Following from discussions with the RSA, my Department has approved the hiring of a further 40 temporary testers for 22 months, and the process of recruitment is now underway. However it will take some time for people to be selected and trained. These new hires will be in addition to the 36 temporary testers who were re-hired over the course of 2020, whose contracts expired during last year.
These measures will help to increase testing capacity. However, I would like to stress, that many of the issues impacting on the delivery of service are concerned with the throughput of centres themselves in light of the restrictions, rather than on the availability of staff.
Items 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are operational matters for the RSA and have been referred to the RSA for direct reply.
A referred reply was forwarded to the Deputy under Standing Order 51