Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Covid-19 has created difficulties for many public services, including the National Driver Licensing Service, NDLS and the driver testing service, which are provided by the Road Safety Authority.

Closures during the initial lockdown earlier this year led inevitably to backlogs, while restrictions on the services, which are necessary in the interests of public health, have reduced capacity since the services reopened. The urgent health necessity which led to level 5 restrictions in October will have a further impact. This cannot be avoided, and no one will question that we must put public safety first.

In the case of the NDLS, all appointments must be booked in advance and the RSA is working with its providers to see how they can create additional capacity by making more evening and weekend hours available, the recruitment of additional staff, extending its postal service for those who are over 70 years, and expanding the online system from 9 November. The introduction of these steps will help ease some of the pressure, free up appointment slots and make it easier to apply online or find slots at local centres.

Driver testing always presented the greatest difficulties when operating under Covid-19 restrictions. Backlogs and waiting times will be addressed ultimately by increased capacity.

My Department recently approved the retention of 18 temporary driver testers whose contracts were due to expire in October and November, and the rehiring of another 18 testers whose contracts expired in May. In addition, my Department is in discussion with the RSA, on putting a more comprehensive plan in place to address the backlog. While discussions are well-advanced, there are no quick fixes, and the RSA estimates that it will be end of next year before we are back to the long-standing target of a ten-week wait period.

I am aware that some driving instructors have expressed dissatisfaction that they are currently not permitted to enter the test centres. Currently only people who absolutely need to enter a test centre can do so to minimise the risk. While this is an operational matter for the RSA, it is a decision the authority has taken in the interests of public health and safety, and not least that of the instructors, as well as those undergoing the tests, and the staff.

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