Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I accept fully the frustrations as articulated by the Deputy in respect of this issue. As far back as September 2024, the Department of Transport sanctioned an additional 70 permanent positions for driver testers and this increases the total permanent posts sanctioned for testers to 200, which is a doubling of permanent posts since June 2022. A recruitment process in under way, with the first tranche of new testers now being deployed into the service. We hope that as additional testers enter the system, testing capacity will increase and progress should be seen in reducing waiting times in the months ahead.

I would be concerned at those pass rates. There needs to be a review of that. Is it overly strict? I do not know. There are a lot of people driving today who, if they were to sit down and do those tests young people are doing today, might not pass. I do not want to be flippant about it but when we are getting a 40% pass rate, something is wrong somewhere.

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