Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion, which is very practical and reasonable.

We should all say that we would like to have an integrated public transport system across the country. However, we do not, and I have not seen see any great move on the Government's part or even previous Governments to do that. If someone is a young person from a rural area, it is particularly problematic to have a situation where he or she might be waiting up to 40 weeks for a driving test. To take Clonmel as an example, if a person is employed in one of the industries in Clonmel such as Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Bulmers or Medite, or if a person is working in the county council or in Tipperary University Hospital, and that person is from Ardfinnan, Ballyporeen, Clogheen, Burncourt, Ballingarry, Killenaule or Moyglass, he or she has to drive to work. There is no alternative. There is no public transport, and there is certainly no public transport if a person is on shift in any of those industries. It is very important for young people, particularly in rural areas, to be in a position to get a driving test and a driver's licence in reasonable times. Again, if a person is attending the ETB further education courses or the Technological University of the Shannon in Clonmel and he or she is from any of the areas I outlined, he or she is going to have to drive. There is no public transport. Again, this is particularly problematic for young people.

Waiting times are anything from 22 to 40 weeks. That is unacceptable and unsustainable. There are two test centres in south Tipperary - Clonmel and Tipperary town. Clonmel has double the ten-week maximum statutory limit at nearly 20 weeks. Tipperary town is slightly better at 17 weeks, but again, this is particularly problematic for young people. It drives up the cost of insurance, the cost of getting to work and the cost of getting mobile in a car. It can cost up to €3,000 to get to a point where a person has a full driver's licence. That is obviously unacceptable.

The motion before us, as I said, is reasonable and practical. There is currently a backlog of more than 72,000 tests, which is a 60% increase on 2022. In 2024, that backlog increased by more than 20,000. I am not aware of any test centre that is meeting the ten-week statutory limit. I wonder whether the RSA, which is responsible for the service, has the ability or the capacity to mend the system, put in place what would be reasonable and to meet the existing legal requirements.

It is quite obvious the increased demand for driving tests has to be met with increased resources by way of funding and staffing. We have a situation where currently there are 205 permanent posts. In December last year, there were 151 active posts. We obviously need additional permanent driving testers. I stress the word "permanent". We also need additional centres. A number of centres, both permanent and temporary, have been closed over the years and they need to be reopened. We need at least one more testing centre in Carrick-on-Suir in the east of County Tipperary. It is necessary to ensure the RSA is responsible for the service and that it puts a plan in place to ensure it meets the ten-week statutory limit. This has repercussions for people right across the country, especially for young people who live in rural areas and have no option other than to drive to the local town or city for employment or education.

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