Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 17:

In page 7, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following:

5.—(1) The Authority shall have responsibility for the management and standards of driver testing in Ireland.

(2) The Authority shall put such structures in place as it deems necessary to ensure that the standard of driving in Ireland is maintained and improved.

(3) The Authority may put such pre-conditions in place as it deems necessary, for candidates who wish to take the driving test. Such pre-conditions may include, but are not limited to, a requirement that candidates undergo a prescribed number of driving lessons before being allowed to sit the driving test.

(4) In carrying out its functions under subsection (2), the Authority shall review and update the driving test and driver theory test so that—

(a) each examination conforms to international best practice,

(b) the driver testing process reflects safe driving practices,

(c) each examination has regard to persons who—

(i) are hearing impaired,

(ii) do not speak Irish or English as defined by the Official Languages Act 2003,

(iii) have literacy difficulties, or, in the case of the driver theory test, difficulty operating a computer, or

(iv) have a physical disability,

and

(d) a detailed report of the results of the test, including all of the following:

(i) whether the candidate passed or failed the test;

(ii) where he or she made errors;

(iii) what areas the candidate could improve;

(iv) in the case of a candidate who has passed, what further actions he or she must take to obtain a licence; and

(v) in the case of a candidate who has failed, how he or she can reapply for the test, is made available to each candidate.

(5) On a regular basis, the Authority shall produce and update, a drivers' training manual, which shall contain—

(a) the Rules of the Road,

(b) advice on safe driving, and

(c) such other information as the Authority deems necessary,

and such drivers' training manual shall be subject to the provisions of section 10 of the Official Languages Act 2003.

This is another amendment which tries to clarify the functions of the authority, which, being so vague, have been entirely left to the discretion of the Minister. In many ways the legislation is enabling legislation, and does not clarify what it is meant to do. The idea of amendment No. 17 is to clarify the functions of the authority with regard to driver testing. To give anyone the responsibility for driver testing is to give him or her a poisoned chalice. I have made the point many times that it is a national scandal that the system has been allowed to deteriorate to the point where 140,000 people are awaiting tests and 400,000 people are driving on provisional licences. No banana republic has been as inefficient as we have been in producing a testing system for its drivers.

Clearly this cannot be allowed to go on for much longer. If we are to have a road safety strategy, fundamental to it is a system of proper instruction of new drivers, proper testing and licensing. For the few people who manage to get a test, the testing system is completely out of date, and hardly relevant to road conditions any longer. The Minister knows the system needs to be completely overhauled, based on best evidence and practice.

The Minister said it would be unfair to set up the new authority with the backlog of people awaiting tests. He said one could not have any kind of reasonable road safety strategy while up to 20% of the driving population is on provisional licences. However, we have now arrived at the situation whereby the legislation will be passed in this House tomorrow if not today, though it must also go to the Seanad. It is likely to be law within the next few weeks, yet there is no sign of any resolution to the problem.

It is an outrage that 100 people can hold the entire system to ransom. That is not acceptable. I made the point to the Minister during Committee Stage that if there is a clause in Sustaining Progress which allows this situation to persist, it must be changed. It is not about looking after the providers of services but must be about providing services. Those who get the services rather than those who give them must be stakeholders in the process and must be considered. The situation is undoubtedly a cause of more and more accidents and deaths on our roads. The view that neither the licensing system nor the testing system matters gives a message of official indifference. Accordingly the road safety authority has no prospect of any success until we deal with that fundamental problem. As far as this legislation is concerned, I want the responsibility for the testing system given to the authority.

Amendment No. 18 also calls for the responsibility for the training and quality control of driving testers to be given to the authority. That area has not been touched for years and the authority should set in place a register. Testers should have to undergo regular quality control, testing and retraining, as decided by the authority. In the meantime, until the backlog is cleared, there is no prospect of this authority having any success.

See this speech in context