Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

Does the Minister accept that, on the basis of these figures, his proposals to cut the waiting list will not work and will not reduce waiting times to ten weeks by 2007? Does he intend to end the provision for unaccompanied drivers? Why has the effect of this not been factored into the projections for the next few years?

Is there not a serious problem with the IT system, contributing to the lack of return for the investment in the service? I presume the Minister is aware the head office in Ballina is incapable of communicating with other test centres by e-mail. It must use the postal system. Even though one can apply for a driving test on-line, each application must be input manually in Ballina. Operating as if we were not in the computer era is a ridiculous waste of resources in what is supposed to be a modern service. What is the Minister's intention in respect of the IT system? When does he intend to replace it?

See this speech in context