Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise the lack of a driving test centre in Drogheda town. Louth Deputies have beaten a path to the RSA over the years and have continuously raised this issue in the Chamber. All they have ever received are generic replies stating that the Office of Public Works, OPW, and the RSA are continuing to try to find a suitable site. It is on record that a number of these sites have been proposed, yet nothing seems to please the OPW or the RSA.

It beggars belief that despite the suggestions from various TDs, including my former colleague Fergus O'Dowd, not one suitable site can be found in Drogheda. A site needs to be identified with urgency as the population of County Louth and Drogheda is growing rapidly and we are completely out of sync with the rest of the country. I will give an example. Counties Carlow, Laois, Offaly and Kilkenny have nine testing centres to service a population of 340,000. Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan have four test centres to service a population of more than 500,000. That is over half a million people. Portlaoise town has a population of 24,000 and has two test centres. Drogheda has a population tipping 50,000 and no test centre. This is grossly disproportionate and hugely unfair to the people of County Louth and of Drogheda and the surrounding areas. I seek the Minister of State's urgent attention and ask him to intervene and secure a site for a driving test centre in Drogheda. Given the length of time it has taken up to now to get nowhere, I am asking the Minister of State to help us to get somewhere.

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