Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 60, 81, 117, 141, 147, 151 and 285 together.

This question should have been taken earlier as it is repetitive. I refer to Priority Question No. 55 which I answered earlier.

As I have consistently indicated, the delay in providing driving tests is a matter of regret to me. It not only represents a poor service to the public but it also hampers the development of initiatives which I wish to pursue and which will contribute further to road safety. The driving test and those who deliver it are a key element in the road safety strategy.

It is my objective to eliminate the backlog of driving tests by mid-2007. That means having a waiting list of no more than 50,000 that can be scheduled in a ten to 12-week period. The measures in place to deal with this are as follows. Seven civil servants from the Department of Agriculture and Food commenced working as driver testers in April this year and will conduct tests in 2006 and 2007. This gives an annual additional capacity of about 10,000 tests. Six further driver testers on two-year contracts are due to commence training on 12 June, with another five being trained shortly thereafter. These will provide additional capacity of approximately 15,000 in a full year.

A bonus scheme for driver testers has been operating since February 2006. The testers have the potential to deliver up to 40,000 driving tests over the course of the year in the evenings and on Saturdays. The final element in the package to eliminate the backlog of driving tests was to outsource a block of tests to an outside agency. Negotiations on this aspect reached a position last week where Mr. Kieran Mulvey, chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission, acting as an agreed mediator, recommended proposals which would enable my objective of using this option to be implemented. I have accepted the proposals and I understand these are to be considered by union members this week and I sincerely hope they will accept them.

The proposals envisage that a contract would be in place by 1 July of this year. This would be a contract solely for the purpose of achieving a defined number of completed tests to assist in eliminating the current backlog of applications. It could be extended to 45,000 tests if necessary. I expect to see a marked reduction in the waiting list by the end of this year and will formally review the position, taking account of all the above measures, at that stage.

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