Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister has said, ten weeks is the desired waiting time. As I stated earlier, recent figures have shown waiting times of up to 28 weeks. It is seven months in Tralee, Cavan is next at 25 weeks and Cork and Monaghan are at 24 weeks. Given the forthcoming legislation, as the Minister mentioned, on unaccompanied learner drivers, this is totally unacceptable. The issue of rural areas where public transport is not reliable has been raised previously. Somebody who needs a car for work cannot be left to wait upwards of seven months for a driver test. The Minister said there are 28 new driver testers from a panel of 100. This is far short. What priority has the Minister put on this and when can we expect to see improvements in this area?

See this speech in context