Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)

I raised this matter by way of question to the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, about a week ago and I am still very concerned about it. Today, I have six new people who are looking to get their tests brought forward. Two of them will not get their tests for seven months. This is what they have been told. I will give an example. One of them is a young fella from Cahersiveen who can do his apprenticeship in Tralee if he can get there. He has work to do at home in the evenings and he would dearly love to do this apprenticeship, but his parents cannot drive him all the way to Tralee in the morning, go home and then come back to pick him up in the evening. Likewise, a young fella from Headford near Killarney wants to do the agricultural course in Clonakilty but he is afraid he will not be able to take up this chance. His mother is working and he is trying to manage the farm at home. His father died a few years ago. There are things like this.

The last day I was talking to the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, I asked him if we could have an amnesty. If a test cannot be carried out in ten weeks, let the driver drive unaccompanied until the test takes place. Will the Government consider that? We need to give young fellas a chance. Even if we were to curtail their driving for 12 hours a day so they would not be driving at night, that would cover them for work, apprenticeships and so forth. Perhaps something like that.

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