Mr. Darragh Dunne:

I thank the committee for allowing us this opportunity to speak. I will briefly go through the points made by Deputy O'Rourke. In terms of the forum, the forum meetings are set by the RSA and the agenda is largely set by the RSA. There is little opportunity for ADIs to ask for a meeting. Although they may ask, there have not been any significant meetings in the past year. One meeting was referred and there were virtual meetings also. There have not been any additional virtual meetings of which any ADIs have been informed.

As driving instructors, we would like the opportunity to put more proposals on the table for discussion. We have much experience. There is much knowledge among the group here today. We have views on small details in the legislation that need to be changed for the sake of safety and practicality. We would love to have the opportunity to speak more on those issues. In my experience the forum does not seem to function at that level. I would have made many attempts to speak to forum members and would not always have got a reply or a sufficient reply.

In terms of what the RSA could do to allow ADIs and the accompanying drivers of the learners, who are legally required to attend the test centre, go into the test centre, no learner can get to the test centre on their own. They need a licensed driver to be there with them. As Mr. Brophy said, when the tests go out, the accompanying drivers can go into the centre. It keeps the population of the test centre low. In the past we made many proposals to the RSA with regard to the staggering of test times. If one test goes out at 10 a.m., the next applicants can come in at that time, deal with the theory questions and paperwork required to be done indoors, and leave at 10.10 a.m. The next test applicant can come in then and that test can go out at 10.20 a.m.

Intelligent use of a scheduling system would have made for a much lower population within the test centres at any given moment but, for the most part, there is little or no cross-contamination opportunity between the testers and the waiting rooms. Traditionally, the testers would come to the door of the waiting room and call in the test applicant. The process of telephoning them and bringing them in from the car could continue but to provide a safe place for people to wait is a simple courtesy. In some of the test centres people are left wandering around industrial estates while their test candidate or son, daughter, partner or whoever is out doing the test. It is simply not safe for people to be wandering around an industrial estate without the opportunity to wash their hands and get any shelter from the weather.

In terms of what we would be hoping for to alleviate the problem of the backlog, it is a broader problem. It is not just a case of clearing the backlog in theory tests by doing that online or clearing the problem of the driver tests backlog by hiring more driver testers. There is that middle group, namely, the driving instructors and the learner drivers, that needs to be addressed. Everyone who passes their theory test and gets a learner permit then needs driving lessons. Everyone who is preparing for the driver test needs driving lessons. Currently, all the people in that middle section who have already got their theory test and learner permits but are waiting to complete their essential driver training, EDT, lessons are not getting serviced. With proper health and safety guidelines-----