Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 February 2024
117. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the steps he is taking to address delays for driving tests; the number of tests that were cancelled, broken down by quarter in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, in tabular form; what measures a person (details supplied) can take to ensure they are able to take a test as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9056/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service and the information requested is held by that agency. I have therefore referred the question to the RSA for direct, detailed reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response is not received within 10 days.
Regarding driver testing delays, the service has been under significant pressure to meet unprecedented demand. Following a request from the RSA for additional resources, last March 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 was 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.
To further assist with reducing waiting times, in October 2023 a change was made to the system to allow any unused slots to be made available for anyone to take up at short notice. If a driving test is cancelled at short notice, the RSA now make this appointment available to the general public on the MyRoadSafety portal.
With regard to compensation for cancelled tests I have been advised that there is a process in place where a person can claim compensation for loss of wages or cost of hire of a vehicle for their test if the RSA cancel within 24 hours. This does not apply if the test is cancelled due to adverse weather.
My Department is continuing to work 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.
