Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At the time of the changes with the Clancy amendment, the Minister gave a commitment that this issue would be tackled. In fact, Deputy Fitzmaurice put forward an amendment that would have imposed a legal requirement for a maximum waiting time which, unfortunately, was defeated. The RSA has committed to waiting times of no more than ten weeks. That is laughable and far from the reality in most test centres. Driving is a lifeline for many young people in rural areas to enable them to get to college, go to work or go wherever. Frankly, the fact that the Minister has ignored the calls since the issue was raised two years ago - the issue has not been addressed since the Clancy amendment was debated here - shows that he and the Government are out of touch with the needs of the younger generation in rural Ireland.

The Minister said 52 people were recruited last year, but in June 2018 he said that 67 would be recruited. Only 52 of the 67 have been recruited. How many testers retired last year? Regarding the 14 being brought forward this year, how many people are due to retire in 2019?

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