Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is not agreed, no. The Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill which the Minister, Deputy Ross, has been introducing has taken some time. We have had a number of set views of committees back. This is a complete change to the construct of the original Bill. I, on behalf of the Rural Independent Group, am fundamentally opposed to this Bill if some measures are not included to assist learner drivers and their families in accessing taxi services or some semblance of transport so that they are not locked in their homes unable to get to education or work. As the Minister knows, we are struggling to rebuild the rural economy and now we are going to lock people up, unable to travel. What kind of impact assessment has the Minister carried out on this Bill to see what impact this draconian measure will have on rural Ireland, and particularly on families in rural Ireland?

I am not anti-road safety. I do not want anyone to die on the roads but learner drivers and their parents are under pressure. They have to wait for God knows how long to get a test. In my county the wait is up to six months. If they fail a test they have to wait a month before they can reapply. This is totally unfair and discriminatory against rural people, especially in very rural areas. Within 20 miles of Dublin there are plenty of small rural towns and villages and country land. It is an attack on the rural populace and it is totally unacceptable. It is my duty as a rural Deputy to oppose such legislation because, whether it is the case that the Minister is trying to confuse the Bill or to conflate it with something else, it is a total no-no until such time as we have some of the services the Minister has here in Dublin, that is to say, buses, taxis, the Luas, the DART and now a €1 billion or €2 billion underground project as well. To hell with the people of rural Ireland. It is as bad as the time of Cromwell - to hell or to Connacht with the people.

It is totally insensitive, over the top and unfair at a time when people cannot get tests. People are waiting six months to get tests in my county. They are then waiting a month if they fail a test, sometimes for the most frivolous of reasons. We have to have a whole overhaul of the test system. If people fail on a very minor issue they should be able to get a restricted licence. They should not fail outright for failing on one item. I have spoken to people who went in for tests and who, because the reclining seat button was not working correctly they failed the test. I have spoken to other people who have gone in for tests and, because there was fog, they were told to go home and that they could not do the test. I was speaking to a lady recently who, after having driven 25 miles to the centre, was told to go home because it was too frosty.

The testing system is outdated, draconian and totally ridiculous at this stage, as are the rules and regulations. It would be a better fit for the Minister and his Department to try to introduce a progressive testing system. There should be simulator programmes in schools. The theory test should also be done in schools. There should be a whole revamp of the testing system so it is not down to the fickleness and frailties of one individual at one snapshot in time during a half an hour of driving. I oppose the introduction of this aspect into the Minister's Bill, which was already anti-rural from the start.

See this speech in context