Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on the national driver test service. I will share time with the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer.

By way of background, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has statutory responsibility for the national driver test service under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006. The service has a target average wait time of ten weeks between when someone applies to sit a test and the test taking place. As Deputies are aware, however, the current wait times are far in excess of the ten week target. At the end of April, wait times had grown to 27 weeks on average nationally, while in the locations with most demand this was in excess of 40 weeks. I acknowledge Deputies' legitimate concerns and frustrations about this issue which is having a negative impact across the country and I agree it is vital that the public experience an efficient and dependable driver test service when undertaking their learning to drive journey.

The growth in wait times has arisen due to a fundamental mismatch between the demand for driver tests and the available testing capacity in the RSA in recent years. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, understandably, given the public health measure introduced at the time, a large backlog of tests built up. However, incoming demand is now at record and growing levels, driven by such factors as inward migration and a rising population, which means a significant backlog has persisted. To address this capacity issue, sanction was issued in September 2024, and remains in place today, for up to 200 permanent driver testers. This represents a doubling of the comparable sanction at this point three years ago. Recruitment is ongoing, but it takes time for a national competition of this scale. Once new recruits are employed, they also must undergo an intensive training programme to ensure they are equipped to carry out a very important role relating to the safety of our citizens. I will go into it in more detail shortly, but I have asked the RSA to consider options to compress the training period without compromising standards or quality assurance.

With these caveats noted, the Deputies may wish to learn that the first new recruits from the September 2024 recruitment campaign have been carrying out live tests since April, with a second tranche entering training this week and a third to commence training before the end of May. With additional tranches of new testers entering the service across the month, I am confident that we have turned the corner and expect that we will see wait times begin to reduce this month, with the pace of that reduction then accelerating across the summer.

Everyone in this House has heard from their constituents about the issues and challenges that extended driver test wait times are causing, the serious impact they are having on people's ability to work and study. Since coming into office, I have prioritised progress on this issue. I met the RSA leadership team on 1 May to discuss its plans for restoring the service to target and the associated timeline of November for doing so. I rejected this plan and made it clear to the RSA that, after several years of significant delay in obtaining an appointment for a test, people cannot wait another six months for the service to be restored. I asked the RSA to take the proposals away and return to me with an improved plan within two weeks. Following a meeting with the CEO this morning, I am pleased to say that, with some additional measures, the RSA now believes it can bring forward the date at which it will reach its full staffing complement by three months and can achieve its target of a ten week wait time in September. I have asked the RSA to publish this plan on its website next week, report progress against it on a fortnightly basis and publish that report on its website. If the fortnightly targets are not met, I have requested that contingency planning begin immediately to add additional testing capacity to the system if it is needed, such as availing of temporary support from retired testers or the driving instructor sector. However, I would much prefer to see the RSA outperform its targets in the coming months and bring the achievement of the ten week target forward to August.

The driver testing wait time is currently far above the service level agreement of ten weeks. As I noted, at the end of April the average wait time was 27 weeks and at some of the busiest test centres, the current wait time is 43 weeks. This is an unacceptable amount of time to be waiting for a test and it has been trending in the wrong direction. These rising wait times have been driven by rapidly increasing demand as the population has grown. This demand can be seen by the number of learner permits in circulation and the record number of advanced driving instructors now working in the sector to deliver lessons to drivers.

The busiest year in the history of the service was 2024, with the RSA receiving just under 275,000 new driving test applications, which was 10% above the RSA's projections. These applications also add to the backlog that arose following the pandemic and has persisted as a result of incoming demand outstripping the RSA’s capacity to deliver tests. Waiting times increased last year from April onwards as the number of driver testers in employment declined due to a mix of retirement, fixed-term contracts reaching their conclusion and testers taking up alternative offers of employment. To try to meet the demand, there was extensive overtime working by driver testers to mitigate the impact on customers, an incentive programme for testers to deliver additional tests, the introduction of the short notice cancelled slot system and the continuation of a priority list for healthcare workers. In total, over 250,000 tests were delivered last year. As it impacts the service, I also highlight that over the last two years 8,000 people have not shown up for their driving tests. This is not acceptable either. From what I understand, some candidates are failing to notify driver testers that they cannot make tests and are therefore denying slots to other people. I accept that emergencies can happen on occasion, but 8,000 no-shows is simply not good enough.

The Department of Transport has sought to support the RSA in meeting this demand and addressing the issue of lengthy driving test waiting times by sanctioning additional driver tester positions to increase capacity in the system. In March 2023, in response to a request from the RSA for the sanction of temporary driver testing roles, the Department issued sanction for up to 75 additional driver testers on fixed-term contracts of up to two years. It is also important to highlight that average driving test waiting times significantly improved as a result of this sanction, from a peak of 30.4 weeks in August 2023 to 14.9 weeks in April 2024. However, the total number of testers in employment at any point never exceeded 176 and, as already outlined, declined during 2024. At the end of April, the current figure for full-time testers was 141, with many of these involved in training the new recruits currently rather than delivering tests.

Following its long-term assessment of capacity requirements, the RSA prepared a business case for the permanent sanction of additional driver testers. On receipt of this business case, the Department moved swiftly to sanction 70 additional driver tester posts on a permanent basis in September 2024. The total permanent sanctioned driver tester headcount is 200, representing a doubling of the permanent headcount in just over two years from 2022 . The recruitment process is under way and the first tranche of new testers are being deployed into service. As additional testers enter the system, testing capacity will increase and progress should be seen on reducing waiting times in the months ahead. Additional testers are being assigned to test centres nationwide as the candidates complete their training. I understand the homes bases of the first tranche deployed at the end of April are in counties Cork and Dublin, though it is important to note that driver testers can be deployed anywhere in the country in response to demand pressures. The home base is therefore not always relevant. While the long-term fix for this issue will be the recruitment and onboarding of new driver testers by the RSA in the months ahead to reach its sanctioned staffing ceiling, this process takes time. In the meantime, the RSA has brought in some other measures to assist to some extent. I acknowledge the work of the existing cohort of driver testers over the past 12 months. They have done their best in very challenging circumstances to mitigate growth in waiting times to the greatest extent possible, particularly in view of the mismatch between testing capacity and demand.

In late 2023, the driver testing booking system was updated to allow for unused test slots to be made available for candidates to take up at short notice. The RSA makes such appointments available for candidates to book on the MyRoadSafety portal daily. Candidates are recommended to check regularly as they may be able to secure an earlier booking slot than would otherwise be the case. This change to the system has also brought the percentage of testing slots utilised up to 98% today, having historically averaged around 95%. This measure alone has created thousands of additional tests each year. There are also no limits on overtime provided hours worked remain within the European working time directive. Last year, around 10% of tests were being delivered through overtime outside the core driver testers’ hours, while staff working in other roles within the RSA who had previously trained and worked as driver testers carried out thousands of additional tests at the weekends. I commend the staff for their efforts in this regard. To provide greater transparency, the RSA publishes detailed monthly information on the driver testing service on the CSO website, including the breakdown of waiting times and distribution of testing capacity by test centre. Deputies have raised concerns in relation to the number of driving test centres around the country and I am informed the RSA is collaborating with the Office of Public Works regarding the driver testing estate. Several options have been reviewed where issues with existing centres have arisen. New test sites are being proactively sought in south Dublin and Drogheda, and I hope to hear that these efforts have reached a successful resolution soon.

While new testers will bring additional capacity in the short term, the Department of Transport in December 2024 commissioned an external independent review of the Road Safety Authority, RSA. This review was motivated in part by the underperformance of the authority in the delivery of key public services, including the driver testing service. On 5 November 2024, the Government approved publication of the review and noted the proposal to radically reform the RSA. This reform will seek to separate out the customer service aspects of the RSA, such as driver testing, from its advocacy role. Ultimately, a more focused approach in each area will hopefully contribute to improved road safety outcomes and service delivery.

The Government's current road safety strategy, which runs to 2030, follows international best practice, aligns with EU targets and the Vision Zero ambition for 2050. Vision Zero is the aspiration to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2050 while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all. As an interim target, countries across the EU are aiming to halve deaths and serious injuries this decade. Together with road safety partners, the Department of Transport is leading the development of the phase 2 action plan under the strategy, which will run from this year to 2027. This plan, which will be adopted in the coming months, will set out high-impact actions that will contribute to Ireland achieving the goal of reducing road fatalities by 50% by 2030 and putting Ireland on track to achieve Vision Zero. As with the RSA reform process noted above, a longer term priority under this action plan will be the comprehensive review of the driver testing curriculum to ensure it adequately prepares drivers for modern driving conditions. As part of this exercise, measures that can help to improve the driving test pass rate from its existing level of around 50% will also be considered. Ultimately, these reduce demands on the service in the form of retests.

Everyone in this House is acutely aware of the hardship being caused by excessive driving test wait times. The Government does not consider the current situation acceptable and significant staffing sanction has been put in place to help alleviate this issue. My officials and I are actively engaging with the RSA on how it can accelerate the recruitment and deployment of additional driver testers and we will be receiving a fortnightly report on progress across the coming months. With the first new recruits entering service in April, we should see some progress in reducing waiting times by the end of May. That is not too long away. This progress will accelerate across the summer as additional tranches of recruits complete their training and enter live testing. With this additional capacity, the RSA plans to achieve the ten-week target in September. In the longer term, the reform of the RSA and the introduction of a revised curriculum and testing regime will be important measures in delivering a better service.

Everybody in the House has people who are suffering, whether it is young people or front-line workers, because of the lack of service. We just cannot allow it to continue. I will be using all of my energy and will be tick-tacking with my officials on an ongoing basis. I will be monitoring the progress being made by the RSA at two-week intervals to see if we are achieving the targets set down. I have asked the authority to look at putting in place contingency measures if necessary. Deputy Michael Murphy, who is present, is chair of the transport committee. He will also be working closely with me and the Department to ensure that we get this problem resolved, not just in the short term but also in the interests of making sure that driving test delays will not be a subject that every public representative has to deal with daily.

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