Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which he plans to deal with the long waiting list of persons now waiting for a driver test and for driver licence appointments; if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of driver instructors regarding access to testing centre facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35956/20]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I ask about the enormous backlog of people waiting for driver tests. The Road Safety Authority, RSA, has indicated that more than 93,000 learner drivers are waiting to sit their tests. The problem has been deteriorating over the year and has increased by 70% since June of this year. What measures are being taken to address this?

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Covid-19 has created difficulties for many public services, including the National Driver Licensing Service, NDLS and the driver testing service, which are provided by the Road Safety Authority.

Closures during the initial lockdown earlier this year led inevitably to backlogs, while restrictions on the services, which are necessary in the interests of public health, have reduced capacity since the services reopened. The urgent health necessity which led to level 5 restrictions in October will have a further impact. This cannot be avoided, and no one will question that we must put public safety first.

In the case of the NDLS, all appointments must be booked in advance and the RSA is working with its providers to see how they can create additional capacity by making more evening and weekend hours available, the recruitment of additional staff, extending its postal service for those who are over 70 years, and expanding the online system from 9 November. The introduction of these steps will help ease some of the pressure, free up appointment slots and make it easier to apply online or find slots at local centres.

Driver testing always presented the greatest difficulties when operating under Covid-19 restrictions. Backlogs and waiting times will be addressed ultimately by increased capacity.

My Department recently approved the retention of 18 temporary driver testers whose contracts were due to expire in October and November, and the rehiring of another 18 testers whose contracts expired in May. In addition, my Department is in discussion with the RSA, on putting a more comprehensive plan in place to address the backlog. While discussions are well-advanced, there are no quick fixes, and the RSA estimates that it will be end of next year before we are back to the long-standing target of a ten-week wait period.

I am aware that some driving instructors have expressed dissatisfaction that they are currently not permitted to enter the test centres. Currently only people who absolutely need to enter a test centre can do so to minimise the risk. While this is an operational matter for the RSA, it is a decision the authority has taken in the interests of public health and safety, and not least that of the instructors, as well as those undergoing the tests, and the staff.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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There is no quick fix for this, it looks like we will have at least another year of these extended delays. A total of18 additional testers have been hired. Has the option of extended working days, including testing on Sundays, evenings and early mornings, to expand the capacity been considered? To what extent has that been explored, and how quickly will the Minister of State's deliberations with the RSA or the RSA's investigation into expanding capacity be concluded? How soon can we expect to see a new regime in place?

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The RSA is working to expand that capacity. The authority is working with its providers to see how it can do just exactly what the Deputy has outlined in regarding to extending weekend hours, overtime, the recruitment of additional staff as well as extending the postal service. It will need that extra capacity in terms of resources, but, at the same time, the throughput at the testing centres must be managed at all times. Many of the centres are small spaces, so that also needs to be managed in relation to the waiting areas. To give an idea of where we have come from, pre-Covid the waiting period was six and a half weeks whereas at the moment an applicant can expect to wait to between 25 and 30 weeks. It is a very difficult situation, but we are trying to prioritise essential workers at the moment, and there is an email address to which essential workers can write, namely, urgentdrivingtest@rsa.ie.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I want to come back to driving instructors. I have been contacted by driving instructors over the past number of weeks who have been refused entry to driving testing centres. Yesterday, I was sent a video to my phone from the west of Ireland, showing female and male driving instructors in rain that was falling horizontally and they were outside with a collapsable chair and an umbrella. That is what they were left with. They had no access to toilet facilities, warmth or sanitisation facilities. It is absolutely disgraceful. I raised this issue with the Minister of State at a committee meeting on 21 October 2020 and nothing has improved since. UNITE is on the case, and fair play to the union. There is a simple resolution. A dog would not be treated like this. The Government can intervene and the Minister of State or a senior Minister can intervene to resolve this issue at the flick of a switch. I am asking for that to be done, and for a commitment to be given to the instructors. I will send the Minister of State the video so that she can see it at first hand. Nobody would stand over it.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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It is an operational matter for the RSA, but I hear the concerns of the Deputy, loud and clear. I know that in normal times, not just driving instructors, but somebody accompanying the learner driver doing their test, would normally be facilitated to wait in the waiting room in the driving test centres. However, these are not normal times. I take on board the Deputy's concerns in this regard. They are trying to minimise the throughput and the interaction at test centres, but I will speak to the RSA to see if further measures can be implemented. We are trying to adhere to public health guidelines and keep the testers, the learner drivers doing their tests and the staff within the centres, safe, and that also includes those who are accompanying the learner drivers.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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There is a better solution that what is in place at the moment.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Maybe there is and we can look at that.