Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)

South Tipperary needs two additional driver testing centres, one at Carrick-on-Suir and one at Cashel. South Tipperary is particularly badly affected by the huge current backlog. The centres at Clonmel and Tipperary town have delays of 28 weeks, or seven months, which is simply not good enough. We have very poor public transport and there is no adequate transport serving major employers, schools and colleges in the area, like Abbott Ireland Vascular Division, Boston Scientific, Questum, Tipperary County Council, Tipperary University Hospital, Tipperary Further Education and Training College and the Technical University of the Shannon. We need at least two new centres to deal with the current situation in south Tipperary.

In the last three months, the number waiting has jumped by 11,000, from 72,400 to 83,486. The delay in April 2024 was 14.9 weeks and it is now 27.3 weeks, which is simply not acceptable. While I welcome the Minister's opening statement, I find it difficult to accept or believe that the RSA will have the ten-week target date achieved by September of this year. I wonder if, in fact, the RSA is fit for purpose in this regard.

More needs to be done. New centres need to be opened and new permanent and full-time driving testers need to be appointed urgently.

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