Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He tends to be very alert to these issues on the ground, as I know from previous questions he has asked. At the moment, across the NDLS front office network there are approximately 76,220 appointment slots in total across a six-week period. Of these, 43,715 are booked, with the remaining slots available. Nearly 30,000 slots are available to be booked. A person who is late for an appointment can always be accommodated and so on. The Deputy is right about Covid restrictions. The walk-in service was suspended. In 2021, a replacement NDLS front office service was procured, and then it was decided by the Road Safety Authority to provide the service on the basis of appointments only. It believes that an appointment-only service manages queues, gives certainty to customers and prevents overcrowding and long waits. The growth of the NDLS online service now accounts for 40% of its customers. I will relay the Deputy's concerns.

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