Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sure they are on the record and attributed to him.

I asked the Minister previously to look at many issues in the context of road safety. He could have considered a plethora of issues. One of these relates to the statistics for driving test. I want him to comment on the statistic confirming the number of people waiting to be scheduled for driving tests, which is deeply alarming and a further indication of the disarray that is afflicting the learner driver system. The RSA confirmed to me, by means of a reply to a parliamentary question in March, that a total of 44,746 applicants nationally were waiting to be scheduled for tests and now the Minister is going to try to bring in legislation to criminalise them. These people cannot get tests. What is being done represents putting the cart before the horse. I will not the say the word to describe that but it starts with "a" and ends "ways". It is ridiculous. These figures go to the heart of what I and others have been saying for sometime now, namely, that there is a chronic backlog afflicting this sector. That backlog is, in turn, creating serious knock-on effects.

The Minister will pass this legislation because obviously he has some kind of hold over Fine Gael, at least for another four days. It is probably a quid pro quo. I know that. I am not just speculating. What is deeply alarming is that the figure of almost 45,000 does not include those who have already been scheduled for tests. I do not know what number is in the system. There could be 15,000 or 20,000 in the system and there are 45,000 waiting to be scheduled. The 45,000 who are waiting merely reflect those waiting to be given testing dates. Many of them have testing dates and they are not included in that figure. The RSA, which is chaired by a former Teachta and member of the defunct Progressive Democrats, informs me that, in part, this is due to the number of driver testers who have retired in the past 12 months. Wait for this part. It does not specify how many testers have opted out of the system or the reason for that. Why is there such a shortage? Why have so many of them retired? Is the system so dysfunctional that they cannot remain in it? The RSA has also told me that it has taken on 23 new testers since 2016 - not 2017 - but that only six of those will have commenced operating by this year. What is going on? Where are the other 17? Why would it take from 2016 to May 2017 - yesterday was May Day 2018 - for them to be appointed to their jobs? I wish them well. I have no axe to grind with any of the testers but what is going on? If that is not incompetence, what is? Are they being paid? I am sure they are if they have been recruited? It could not take them two years to learn everything? Do they have to take a theory test, get L plates and get someone to accompany them while driving? What is going on?

Will the Minister answer those questions? He will not because he is not interested. He cannot answer them. He is obviously presiding over an unmitigated mess. He is also the man who said that he was totally opposed to quangos and that he would never appoint any people. Then he appointed two good people, as has been said, for good reason, but did they go through the proper process of public appointments to boards? That is all I would ask about them. I wish them well on the board, but they want a bigger and more expanded board and more fun and games. That is playing with people's lives, which is what the Minister has accused us of doing with his terrorism comment, as did the head of the RSA in accusing us of causing lives to be lost.I resent that greatly because I am pro-life. I am all for helping people out like cabhrú leis na daoine, a Teachta Dála, a messenger of the people, and it my raison d'être for being here. The Minister made that suggestion, as did the head of the RSA because we were opposed to the Bill. I will ask the head of the RSA to withdraw that comment. The language they used was intimidatory. It was as if they were trying to frighten or scare us from representing our people. That is what is going on. If we represent people in rural Ireland, we are accused of being aliens, Neanderthals or God knows what because we cannot fall into line with the Dublin brigade. Once I am all right Jack, it is a case of to hell with the people outside the Pale. The 23 new testers have been taken on. Where are they? Why are only six of them working? What is going on. This is incompetence in the extreme. I raised this matter previously with the Minister and he did not answer me but his officials might be able to help him out.

In my county of Tipperary, which I am proud to represent, from Carrick on Suir up to Moneygall, Clonmel, Cahir, Cashel, Thurles, etc., 1,700 people are waiting to be scheduled driving tests. This demonstrates the enormity of the problem at local level. What the Minister wants is that people who are waiting for tests and those who fail tests for the slightest reason who are caught driving - he wants the Garda to impose this if he gets his way - to have their cars taken from them. He also wants those people to be fined and brought before the courts and the owners of the relevant vehicles - whether it be the parent, guardian, sibling or whomever - to also be fined. Furthermore, he wants the cars to be seized and the people involved jailed. The Government cannot imprison those who should be in jail, namely, the people who are presiding the scandalous murder of 18 women. Let us get real here. There is no talk of jail for them. They are above anything of that sort and that is all right.

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