Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this very important topic and motion because for all of this year, my office has been inundated with calls from young people, boys and girls, looking to do and to be called for their driving test and to get on the road for many reasons, such as going to college, secondary schools and to work. They have been and are promised driving jobs but they cannot get their test. I had an instance a number of weeks ago where a father wanted his son to drive a van in his business. He applied for the test last January and he was told it would be this coming January before he would be invited to apply for a test. One could be talking about anything from 12 to 15 months. That is not acceptable, I say to the Minister of State.

I raised this issue below at the Committee on Transport and Communications a number of weeks ago and we were told that so many new testers would be employed and that the matter would be rectified by next June. God Almighty, it is not right that we have to tell young people that they have to wait a year and a half. I was also told at that committee meeting that most of the new testers would be designated for Dublin. That is not fair. They said that more than half of the new testers who would be put working would be designated to Dublin. We have a public transport system in Dublin, and I do not begrudge Dublin, but people in rural Kerry need to get on the road. I called at that meeting for an amnesty. It happened before and the amnesty need only operate until the person gets their licence, for those that are waiting or have to wait 12 months. For people who are applying today, it could be next June or July before they will be invited for a test and maybe later. That is not acceptable.

I feel that there is an ulterior motive here by the Minister of State's senior Minister, Deputy Ryan, where he does not want to improve roads and I feel that he does not want young people to get on the road. There is a time when young people, who are full of go, want to get going, get out in the world and go to work, and they do not want to be dependent on their parents to take them here or there but want to get going themselves. Perhaps the senior Minister wants to stop them at that stage and-----

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