Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)

I had two people on to me this week. One person got their appointment for 22 December in Wilton, in Cork. The other person's appointment is for 5 January 2026. That is an outrageous period of time that people have to wait for a test. I have parents on to me. One parent's son has to be dropped to work at 4 o'clock in the day and his other parent has to collect him after midnight every night because he is not able to drive to and from work. He has gone through training and has been driving for quite a while but still cannot get a date for a test. We are talking about over eight or nine months' waiting time. This has to be sorted far earlier. I fully understand that people were recruited, but the whole process seems to take forever as regards dealing with the waiting time and dealing with the young people who need to get the test done and get a full driving licence.

See this speech in context