Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)

The target of ten weeks waiting time is a pretty sick joke for those who are waiting months to get driving tests that they absolutely need to be able to get around to do their jobs, collect their kids and do all of the things that, for many people, mean driving is essential in this country as it currently is. A year ago, the average waiting time was 15 weeks, not the target of ten weeks; in January, the average was 21 weeks; and right now the average is 23 or 24 weeks. Tallaght is reported as having the worst service in all of Ireland, having hit 35 to 43 weeks. I have been contacted by many constituents who are pulling their hair out and asking what they are meant to do when they have been waiting almost a year for a driving test.

One person who contacted me said he applied in November 2024. He was told he should expect to receive his invitation to book his test in the week commencing 15 September 2025, almost an entire year later. Another told me just this month that he has accepted the many blockers put in front of him without any assistance from the State due to his level of income. He has completed the 12 lessons and has now been provided with an estimated driving test date of 12 January 2026, over eight months after he applied.

The fundamental issue here is testers. We are paying the price for recruiting no testers last year. Yes, there is an increase in the number of testers this year, which is welcome, but it needs to be ramped up.

I will finish on the point that, in addition, we do not need to force people to drive but instead offer public transport. We need to deal with the ghost buses and roll out free, frequent and accessible public transport to people so they are not so reliant on having to drive.

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