Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)

The waiting time for the driving test needs to be treated like the emergency it is. The situation is getting worse, not better. As of April, the average wait time for the Wilton driving test centre in Cork was 35 weeks. In March, the relevant figure was 31 weeks. For the test centre in Mallow, the average wait time is 36 weeks, which is nine months. These are not just numbers. They represent thousands of real people across Cork who are stuck in limbo. These are young people seeking independence, people who need to drive for work and apprenticeships, and many others who require a licence to get on with their lives. Somebody said in jest recently that it would be easier to train to become an astronaut than to get a driving licence in Cork at the moment.

I welcome the Department's sanction for additional permanent driving tester contracts and I hope that will bring down the wait times. The problem is that we have been here before. One instructor told me that he had watched time and again as the waiting lists went up from six months to eight months, temporary contracts were introduced, which meant waiting lists went down, but then they went back up again thereafter. It is good that there are permanent contracts now but we must ask why the Department did not see this coming. Why is the Department not constantly hiring driving testers? It seems to be reacting to waiting lists rather than planning ahead.

I will propose some solutions. We should extend the testing times, particularly in the summertime when we have more daylight and longer days. We should consider offering overtime to testers and offering tests on Sundays, particularly when new testers are coming on board. As my colleague mentioned, consideration should be given to whether people should get a refund if they are waiting longer than the ten-week target set by the Department and committed to last year by the Tánaiste, Deputy Harris.

Getting a driving licence should not be so difficult. No one should have to wait for nine months. The current system is clearly not functioning and we need a solid response.

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