Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Ceann Comhairle was very kind to defend me, but I really am fine. I thank all the Deputies for their contributions, and particularly the constructive suggestion from Deputy O'Donoghue that we bring our driver theory tests online, as they should be. I am very happy that it is starting this month, and that there will be approximately 3,000 tests per month for cars and that it is also happening for other vehicle classes.

While the driver test service is limited at present, the RSA is making plans for when testing will be permitted to resume for all. This includes increasing the numbers of testing staff. The RSA is also examining whether the number of tests a driver tester can perform each day can be increased. Due to the additional hygiene and sanitation procedures now required, each testing slot takes much longer to complete, and consequently the number of tests a driver tester could conduct each day was reduced from eight to five when the service reopened. Following experience of managing tests under Covid-19 conditions, this increased to six in mid-September.

The RSA has set up a dedicated web forum so essential workers can request a driver test. Anyone seeking an urgent driver test appointment who falls into this category can apply to book a driver test this way. The Department of Transport welcomes the roll-out of the online theory testing service, albeit in a limited capacity initially, and the RSA is fully committed to extending the service to all categories of vehicles. However, the expansion of services will take time. Operational, technical and contractual issues must be addressed prior to further expansion. There will be a limit on the number of customers able to avail of the service during the initial roll-out phase, but work is ongoing to make online services more widely available towards the end of 2021. From the start, it has been clear that the first priority is public safety. We want to provide services, and we know people are seeking services, but we will provide them only to the limit possible while preserving public health.

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