James Breen (Clare, Independent)

My first comment on the Driver Testing and Standards Authority Bill 2004 is about the ridiculous backlog of people waiting to sit their test. Current pass rates at national level are approximately 55%. Not only does almost every second person fail, but candidates have to wait six months for the privilege of doing so. Waiting times for driving tests are up to 42 weeks. A temporary visitor to Ireland may legally drive here providing he or she holds a valid licence or an international driving permit, issued in his or her country of residence. That period is for six months for those residing here or 12 months for visitors. If someone happens to be one of the unlucky candidates who cannot simply exchange his or her licence, that person must join the lengthy queues in Ireland and pass a driving test before an Irish licence can be granted.

The only positive aspect to the Irish system is that before undergoing this test, a provisional licence may be obtained from the appropriate regional licensing authority.

Let us hope that the new driver testing and standards authority will accelerate delivery of an enhanced and customer focused driver testing service to the public. It should bring a new focus and a wider flexibility to driver testing with the initial emphasis on reducing the waiting time for driving tests.

I call on the Minister to provide for the recruitment of additional testers and to give testing priority to individuals who can produce documentary evidence of their urgent need to have a driving licence for health or work reasons. The high volume of applications is unacceptable and more has to be done to reduce waiting lists. With the new standards authority in place, I hope that we can look forward to more people attending a driving test appointment and that people will comply with the requirements, considering that the majority are legal requirements. If we do not place strong emphasis on these requirements, some people may feel that they can continue to drive with a provisional licence. That is a key priority to road safety and should reduce the long-term reliance on provisional licences. The authority must cut the waiting time for driving tests and lay down strict targets in areas such as the length of waiting times, the number of tests carried out annually and the improvement of both driving testers and instructors.

Why is there a waiting time of 12 months for a driving test? Why are 300,000 people in Ireland still on a provisional licence? We cannot expect to feel safe on our roads with such a high number operating on provisional licences. We think we live in a modern society, yet we are failing to make any real impact in reforming one of Ireland's most important systems, to move with the times and get rid of provisional licences that are a problem and a hindrance to motorists.

The standards authority should have a standardised system for all instructors and testers to avoid the embarrassing variations in driving test pass rates among different counties throughout Ireland. The Minister must immediately provide for more testers and instructors with a standardised qualification. This must be done to avoid the inevitability of people speeding, driving through stop signs and yield signs and improperly overtaking. We continue to point the finger at alcohol for most accidents on our roads, but surely driving errors are also a contributory factor. Given a penalty points system which is clearly falling into disrepute and failing to deliver positive results as people continue to die on the roads, it is time the standards authority delivered on its promise to implement the real changes we deserve.

Ireland's dysfunctional driver licensing system has made the roads more dangerous as people who fail their tests continue to drive unsupervised on provisional licences. The practice dates back to a slower paced rural Ireland in which cars were luxuries and roads were quiet. In today's urbanised and traffic-clogged country, provisional drivers compete for space with qualified drivers while State-run licensing centres are unable to keep up with demand. Will the Minister reduce waiting lists immediately by providing extra instructors and testers? He must ensure that private driving instructors and testers comply with a standardised education system in addressing the problem.

If the Minister were a resident of Carrigaholt with a provisional licence who had to travel to work in Galway or Ennis, he would find it very difficult to have a qualified driver with him at all times. It is a 70 mile round trip to Ennis which places an unfair burden on people in the area who must wait months on end for a test. They are well qualified to drive but cannot get the piece of paper which allows them to do so alone. Will the Minister consider the backward areas of the west whose people cannot afford to wait and wait for driving tests? Some people are losing employment as a result of their lack of a full licence.

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