Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, I again thank the Deputy for raising the matter. The backlog for the NCTS has undoubtedly been frustrating as the Covid-19 restrictions have eased and many people are now returning to their offices and workplaces. The Department of Transport is very aware of the challenges faced by the NCTS and the RSA as they work to manage the extremely high demand for test appointments for the National Car Testing Service. There are clear signs of progress since this issue was first notified to the Department of Transport at the beginning of the year. The proactive work to increase capacity at test centres and to manage priority waiting lists will help.

Demand is expected to ease as we enter quarter 2. However, it can be expected that it will take a few months for the waiting list to reduce to its normal level of less than 1,000 as more people look to get back on the road. I have noted the Deputy's point about the website and the potential challenges posed by the large number of Ukrainian citizens arriving in the State.

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