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

I thank the Minister of State for his reply, but most of that information was contained in an answer to a parliamentary question I tabled a number of weeks ago and we are still the same way. It was the same last year when I raised the issue at an Oireachtas committee. The truth is, Dublin is being looked after but places like Kerry are not. That is the God's gospel truth. All of the children and youngsters of the country must be treated equally. People in Kerry are not being treated in the same way as people up here in Dublin are, and they have all kinds of public transport up here. If the test cannot be carried out in ten weeks, surely the candidate who has done the driver theory test, the 12 lessons and all that is required, should be allowed to drive and given an amnesty until the test comes. These youngsters need to get going. We were all young at one time. We wanted to get out on the road safely and carefully. These people can do that and they have to be trusted and given the chance to go to work or college.

I know a young fella from Cordal who wanted to go back to milk his uncle's cows because something had happened to his uncle. It was 6 or 7 miles along a country road. He cannot do it because he has been waiting for ages to be called for his driving test. The uncle badly needs his nephew, who cannot go to help him. It is not fair. The Minister of State will have to do something. If the RSA is not able to respond or to do the job, something else will have to be done. In the meantime, give the young fellas who have their driving lessons and theory test done one chance and that will put more of an onus on them to drive carefully. Give them an amnesty to drive until they are called for their tests. That would be a fairer way of doing it because the system is out of all order and is gone beyond the beyond.

We have been at this for three years. I was at this issue as hard as this last year and challenged the man from the RSA who said he was giving most of the 30 posts to Dublin. That is not fair. We have not seen any of the 70 testers who were supposed to have been taken on last September. There is no sign of them down in Kerry. It is actually getting worse. As I said at the start, come July and August, there will be no cover because the fellas we were supposed to have will be gone on holidays and the young fellas will be on the side of the road with their thumbs up.

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