Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have for a considerable length of time been raising the unacceptable delays in getting driving tests in the Cavan test centre. These delays have caused real difficulties for people who need to travel for work or to study and impact adversely on rural communities, such as those throughout County Cavan. If a person were to book a test in the Cavan test centre today, he or she will not receive an invitation for a test until 8 April 2024. It will be the end of that April before that person takes the test. People who booked a test in February and March last are only now receiving notice of their test dates.

I welcome the announcement by the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, of the recruitment of additional driver testers. I again emphasise the absolute need to allocate some of those new recruits to the Cavan centre on a permanent basis. Cavan has one tester in some weeks and perhaps two in other weeks. At other times, such as next week, we have no testers at all. That is not acceptable. We need an adequate complement of driver testers to be permanently assigned to the Cavan test centre. We have endured delays for far too long.

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