Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I welcome the opportunity to address the House on the national driver test service. I will share time with the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer.

By way of background, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has statutory responsibility for the national driver test service under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006. The service has a target average wait time of ten weeks between when someone applies to sit a test and the test taking place. As Deputies are aware, however, the current wait times are far in excess of the ten week target. At the end of April, wait times had grown to 27 weeks on average nationally, while in the locations with most demand this was in excess of 40 weeks. I acknowledge Deputies' legitimate concerns and frustrations about this issue which is having a negative impact across the country and I agree it is vital that the public experience an efficient and dependable driver test service when undertaking their learning to drive journey.

The growth in wait times has arisen due to a fundamental mismatch between the demand for driver tests and the available testing capacity in the RSA in recent years. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, understandably, given the public health measure introduced at the time, a large backlog of tests built up. However, incoming demand is now at record and growing levels, driven by such factors as inward migration and a rising population, which means a significant backlog has persisted. To address this capacity issue, sanction was issued in September 2024, and remains in place today, for up to 200 permanent driver testers. This represents a doubling of the comparable sanction at this point three years ago. Recruitment is ongoing, but it takes time for a national competition of this scale. Once new recruits are employed, they also must undergo an intensive training programme to ensure they are equipped to carry out a very important role relating to the safety of our citizens. I will go into it in more detail shortly, but I have asked the RSA to consider options to compress the training period without compromising standards or quality assurance.

With these caveats noted, the Deputies may wish to learn that the first new recruits from the September 2024 recruitment campaign have been carrying out live tests since April, with a second tranche entering training this week and a third to commence training before the end of May. With additional tranches of new testers entering the service across the month, I am confident that we have turned the corner and expect that we will see wait times begin to reduce this month, with the pace of that reduction then accelerating across the summer.

Everyone in this House has heard from their constituents about the issues and challenges that extended driver test wait times are causing, the serious impact they are having on people's ability to work and study. Since coming into office, I have prioritised progress on this issue. I met the RSA leadership team on 1 May to discuss its plans for restoring the service to target and the associated timeline of November for doing so. I rejected this plan and made it clear to the RSA that, after several years of significant delay in obtaining an appointment for a test, people cannot wait another six months for the service to be restored. I asked the RSA to take the proposals away and return to me with an improved plan within two weeks. Following a meeting with the CEO this morning, I am pleased to say that, with some additional measures, the RSA now believes it can bring forward the date at which it will reach its full staffing complement by three months and can achieve its target of a ten week wait time in September. I have asked the RSA to publish this plan on its website next week, report progress against it on a fortnightly basis and publish that report on its website. If the fortnightly targets are not met, I have requested that contingency planning begin immediately to add additional testing capacity to the system if it is needed, such as availing of temporary support from retired testers or the driving instructor sector. However, I would much prefer to see the RSA outperform its targets in the coming months and bring the achievement of the ten week target forward to August.

The driver testing wait time is currently far above the service level agreement of ten weeks. As I noted, at the end of April the average wait time was 27 weeks and at some of the busiest test centres, the current wait time is 43 weeks. This is an unacceptable amount of time to be waiting for a test and it has been trending in the wrong direction. These rising wait times have been driven by rapidly increasing demand as the population has grown. This demand can be seen by the number of learner permits in circulation and the record number of advanced driving instructors now working in the sector to deliver lessons to drivers.

The busiest year in the history of the service was 2024, with the RSA receiving just under 275,000 new driving test applications, which was 10% above the RSA's projections. These applications also add to the backlog that arose following the pandemic and has persisted as a result of incoming demand outstripping the RSA’s capacity to deliver tests. Waiting times increased last year from April onwards as the number of driver testers in employment declined due to a mix of retirement, fixed-term contracts reaching their conclusion and testers taking up alternative offers of employment. To try to meet the demand, there was extensive overtime working by driver testers to mitigate the impact on customers, an incentive programme for testers to deliver additional tests, the introduction of the short notice cancelled slot system and the continuation of a priority list for healthcare workers. In total, over 250,000 tests were delivered last year. As it impacts the service, I also highlight that over the last two years 8,000 people have not shown up for their driving tests. This is not acceptable either. From what I understand, some candidates are failing to notify driver testers that they cannot make tests and are therefore denying slots to other people. I accept that emergencies can happen on occasion, but 8,000 no-shows is simply not good enough.

The Department of Transport has sought to support the RSA in meeting this demand and addressing the issue of lengthy driving test waiting times by sanctioning additional driver tester positions to increase capacity in the system. In March 2023, in response to a request from the RSA for the sanction of temporary driver testing roles, the Department issued sanction for up to 75 additional driver testers on fixed-term contracts of up to two years. It is also important to highlight that average driving test waiting times significantly improved as a result of this sanction, from a peak of 30.4 weeks in August 2023 to 14.9 weeks in April 2024. However, the total number of testers in employment at any point never exceeded 176 and, as already outlined, declined during 2024. At the end of April, the current figure for full-time testers was 141, with many of these involved in training the new recruits currently rather than delivering tests.

Following its long-term assessment of capacity requirements, the RSA prepared a business case for the permanent sanction of additional driver testers. On receipt of this business case, the Department moved swiftly to sanction 70 additional driver tester posts on a permanent basis in September 2024. The total permanent sanctioned driver tester headcount is 200, representing a doubling of the permanent headcount in just over two years from 2022 . The recruitment process is under way and the first tranche of new testers are being deployed into service. As additional testers enter the system, testing capacity will increase and progress should be seen on reducing waiting times in the months ahead. Additional testers are being assigned to test centres nationwide as the candidates complete their training. I understand the homes bases of the first tranche deployed at the end of April are in counties Cork and Dublin, though it is important to note that driver testers can be deployed anywhere in the country in response to demand pressures. The home base is therefore not always relevant. While the long-term fix for this issue will be the recruitment and onboarding of new driver testers by the RSA in the months ahead to reach its sanctioned staffing ceiling, this process takes time. In the meantime, the RSA has brought in some other measures to assist to some extent. I acknowledge the work of the existing cohort of driver testers over the past 12 months. They have done their best in very challenging circumstances to mitigate growth in waiting times to the greatest extent possible, particularly in view of the mismatch between testing capacity and demand.

In late 2023, the driver testing booking system was updated to allow for unused test slots to be made available for candidates to take up at short notice. The RSA makes such appointments available for candidates to book on the MyRoadSafety portal daily. Candidates are recommended to check regularly as they may be able to secure an earlier booking slot than would otherwise be the case. This change to the system has also brought the percentage of testing slots utilised up to 98% today, having historically averaged around 95%. This measure alone has created thousands of additional tests each year. There are also no limits on overtime provided hours worked remain within the European working time directive. Last year, around 10% of tests were being delivered through overtime outside the core driver testers’ hours, while staff working in other roles within the RSA who had previously trained and worked as driver testers carried out thousands of additional tests at the weekends. I commend the staff for their efforts in this regard. To provide greater transparency, the RSA publishes detailed monthly information on the driver testing service on the CSO website, including the breakdown of waiting times and distribution of testing capacity by test centre. Deputies have raised concerns in relation to the number of driving test centres around the country and I am informed the RSA is collaborating with the Office of Public Works regarding the driver testing estate. Several options have been reviewed where issues with existing centres have arisen. New test sites are being proactively sought in south Dublin and Drogheda, and I hope to hear that these efforts have reached a successful resolution soon.

While new testers will bring additional capacity in the short term, the Department of Transport in December 2024 commissioned an external independent review of the Road Safety Authority, RSA. This review was motivated in part by the underperformance of the authority in the delivery of key public services, including the driver testing service. On 5 November 2024, the Government approved publication of the review and noted the proposal to radically reform the RSA. This reform will seek to separate out the customer service aspects of the RSA, such as driver testing, from its advocacy role. Ultimately, a more focused approach in each area will hopefully contribute to improved road safety outcomes and service delivery.

The Government's current road safety strategy, which runs to 2030, follows international best practice, aligns with EU targets and the Vision Zero ambition for 2050. Vision Zero is the aspiration to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2050 while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all. As an interim target, countries across the EU are aiming to halve deaths and serious injuries this decade. Together with road safety partners, the Department of Transport is leading the development of the phase 2 action plan under the strategy, which will run from this year to 2027. This plan, which will be adopted in the coming months, will set out high-impact actions that will contribute to Ireland achieving the goal of reducing road fatalities by 50% by 2030 and putting Ireland on track to achieve Vision Zero. As with the RSA reform process noted above, a longer term priority under this action plan will be the comprehensive review of the driver testing curriculum to ensure it adequately prepares drivers for modern driving conditions. As part of this exercise, measures that can help to improve the driving test pass rate from its existing level of around 50% will also be considered. Ultimately, these reduce demands on the service in the form of retests.

Everyone in this House is acutely aware of the hardship being caused by excessive driving test wait times. The Government does not consider the current situation acceptable and significant staffing sanction has been put in place to help alleviate this issue. My officials and I are actively engaging with the RSA on how it can accelerate the recruitment and deployment of additional driver testers and we will be receiving a fortnightly report on progress across the coming months. With the first new recruits entering service in April, we should see some progress in reducing waiting times by the end of May. That is not too long away. This progress will accelerate across the summer as additional tranches of recruits complete their training and enter live testing. With this additional capacity, the RSA plans to achieve the ten-week target in September. In the longer term, the reform of the RSA and the introduction of a revised curriculum and testing regime will be important measures in delivering a better service.

Everybody in the House has people who are suffering, whether it is young people or front-line workers, because of the lack of service. We just cannot allow it to continue. I will be using all of my energy and will be tick-tacking with my officials on an ongoing basis. I will be monitoring the progress being made by the RSA at two-week intervals to see if we are achieving the targets set down. I have asked the authority to look at putting in place contingency measures if necessary. Deputy Michael Murphy, who is present, is chair of the transport committee. He will also be working closely with me and the Department to ensure that we get this problem resolved, not just in the short term but also in the interests of making sure that driving test delays will not be a subject that every public representative has to deal with daily.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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There are 83,000 people waiting for driving tests. The number is up by 10,000 since the start of the year and 20,000 over the past six months. The average waiting time is more than 27 weeks, as the Minister of State indicated, which is way over the statutory maximum of ten. In April of last year, the Fianna Fáil Minister committed to significant progress being made between October and the end of the year. He claimed we would get back to the ten-week waiting time early this year. Like many other promises made in the run-up to the election, however, that commitment was not kept. Matters have got far worse since we asked the Government to take action. In February, we tabled a motion that contained a suite of measures to tackle the huge backlog, including matching resources - as the Minister of State said, there is currently a mismatch - expediting the recruitment of driving test instructors, the number of testers has since declined, and plugging the gaps in a number of driving test centres. Predictably, our proposals were ignored.

The Government says there is a problem. It promises to fix it, but then it is business as usual. Many of the now Government-supporting TDs in the Regional Independent Group were highly critical of these delays when in opposition. They made it clear that they believed it was within the Government's gift to resolve the issues of resourcing with political will and ambition. Now that they are in government and standing with the Government, supporting it on good days and bad, they are all trying to wash their hands of the issue.

There are many frustrating delays, but it is not just that. Learner drivers are trapped in insurance contracts, the average cost of which is approximately €3,000 per year. There are other cost-of-living measures, including how motorists here are paying some of the highest prices for motor fuel in the EU. This morning, we learned that drivers in the South are paying 25% more than their counterparts in the North. This is in part due to punitive measures like the carbon tax, which punishes ordinary people when they have literally no alternative. How is this a just transition? With each passing day, it becomes increasingly clear that this Government is out of touch.

I cannot let the opportunity of speaking about the TV footage of what is happening in Gaza and the deliberate famine being imposed on the people pass. I am reminded of the speech Parnell gave in Ennis, County Clare, when he stated that when a man takes land from which another has been evicted, "you must shun him in the street when you meet him ... isolating him from the rest of the country, as if he were a leper of old - you must show him your detestation of the crime he committed."

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Thanks, Deputy.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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I will finish on this. We instead are sending a representative to a song contest, which has been used-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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As important as it is, Deputy, it is not part of this debate.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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-----as a propaganda tool by Israel over the years. We should not be sending anyone there.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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Many young people in my constituency have been waiting months on end for their driving tests. It is incredibly disappointing that the delays in this regard have worsened since this issue was last raised by us in February. Being able to drive is an absolute necessity for any young person who lives in a rural community in the context of their independence and allowing them to lead an adult life and secure work and educational opportunities. The Government often appears out of touch with that reality, particularly when we consider recent hikes in the cost of fuel, insurance and so on, but especially when it comes to the outrageous delays people face in securing driving tests.

In County Galway, up to the end of April, there were more than 4,000 people waiting for a driving test invitation. This includes more than 600 people waiting for tests at the Loughrea test centre and 800 waiting for tests at the Tuam test centre. Those waiting for a test invitation can expect a 22-week waiting time for a test in Loughrea or 26 weeks for a test in Tuam. This flies in the face of the Government's statutory maximum waiting period of ten weeks. I note the Minister of State's comments, but these come three months on from our motion in February that included a suite of measures to tackle the backlog, increase the funding of permanent driving instructors to end the reliance on temporary instructors, address the shortfall in the number of driving test centres throughout the country by mandating the OPW and the RSA to plug the gaps and implement a strategic plan to achieve that statutory maximum waiting time of ten weeks. The Government has ignored all of that for the past three months. None of these proposed solutions has been implemented in the interim. We need less hot air and bluster and more actual solutions to tackle this backlog. We also need action.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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The RSA has a statutory maximum target of ten weeks from the time a learner driver books their test until they are given a date to sit the test. The last time that target was reached was in July 2022, almost three years ago. Since then, as is evident across the State, things have got much worse. There are extended waiting times, a shortage of testers and a system that is failing both those it is meant to serve and in its basic function. In Meath, we have seen at first hand the impact of these delays. The Navan testing centre has the longest waiting time in the State, at 43 weeks. Amazingly, this is getting longer. This time last year, it was 16 weeks. When we last discussed this matter in February, it was 41 weeks. Young people, including students, who are eager to gain their independence are being left stranded. Workers, including essential workers who need their licences, are left stranded and, in many cases, locked out of employment or unable to participate fully in their communities. This is yet another issue that the Government has allowed to develop. Again, it is not taking young people into consideration. It is no wonder so many young people are emigrating. The Government response so far has been completely inadequate. We need urgent action to be taken on this issue. We need to increase the number of driving testers, maximise the number of testing hours and streamline the booking process in order to ensure that everyone has fair and timely access to a driving test. The best time to act was two years ago. The next best time to act is now.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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Is í seo an chéad uair dom labhairt leis an Aire Stáit. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis agus guím ádh mór air sa phost nua. The wait time for a driving test in north Kildare is far too long. It has been this way for a long period. As of last month, people in my constituency are waiting an average of 28 weeks for a test in Naas. It was 24 weeks last April and a staggering 31 weeks in April the year before. In a reply to a parliamentary question on waiting times last September, I was informed by the Department of Transport that it was doing all it could to alleviate waiting times by sanctioning the employment of an additional 70 driving testers. Yes, the backlog has ballooned by more than 10,000 since the start of this year. In February, Sinn Féin brought forward a Private Members' motion on this matter and highlighted lots of different ways the Government could tackle it. Tá faic déanta ag an Rialtas faoi. Now, people are waiting a long time just to get a test, ag fanacht agus ag fanacht. We have to reduce emissions by encouraging people to leave the car at home, but with the shambles that is our public transport service in north Kildare, the Government has left people with no option. Every day I hear about train availability during peak commuting hours and how the fair fares have badly affected people in Sallins and Kilcock in particular. This is an issue that has to be looked at again. We cannot increase fares for people.

This morning, I heard on KFM about the 821 bus from Newbridge to Sallins and the impact on constituents in Caragh. Small buses instead of large ones have been put on the route and people are being left at the bus stop in Caragh as a result. Those who cannot rely on public transport are forced to wait 28 weeks for driving tests in Naas. Last week, a constituent who applied for a test six months ago told me that she will be waiting until the end of June for a test. That really is appalling. What is happening is having a particular impact on our young people in the context of their independence and their ability to get to work. I wish the Minister of State the best of luck in making sure we get this matter sorted.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I want to talk about the scandalous waiting times at the driving test centre in Tallaght. The latest figures I have show that over 20,000 people in Tallaght are waiting for driving tests. This is a rise of 1,500 in the past six months. The only direction waiting lists go in this country is up. The statutory minimum time to sit the test is ten weeks. The waiting time in Tallaght is now a shocking 43 weeks. Being obliged to wait 43 weeks to do a driving test is unacceptable. When I did my driving test, there was a second test centre on Fonthill Road. For some inexcusable reason, this was closed down. That put more pressure on the Tallaght test centre. I have repeatedly campaigned for an additional driving test centre in the south Dublin area. I received a response from the RSA which stated that there are plans to open an additional centre in south Dublin and that it is currently looking for a suitable facility. I welcome this response, but there seems to be a lack of urgency in opening this second centre. Can the Minister of State find out what progress has been made in identifying a suitable location for this second test centre in South Dublin? When will it open? People in my area simply cannot be left to wait for 43 weeks. We need to see urgency from the Government, but we also need to see urgency from the RSA.

People rely on passing their test to facilitate them in their education, employment, accessing healthcare and everything in between. The delays to which I refer are pushing up the cost of driving. It is estimated that the cost of waiting to learn to drive can be up to €3,000. That is the increase for people who are on learners' permit and paying high insurance premiums for insurance. It also relates to the test. I would appreciate it if the Minister of State would look into those two matters. We need a second test centre in the south Dublin area.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Like me, the Minister of State represents a rural constituency. As a result, he understands what a massive problem it is if a person is obliged to wait seven months - that is the current waiting time in County Donegal - for his or her driving test. In my home area of Buncrana on the Inishowen Peninsula, the waiting time has doubled in a year. We are getting representations from young people who are desperate and their parents about the jobs or opportunities they will not be able to take up. This has a major impact in rural counties. The Minister of State knows that public transport just does not work across rural counties like Donegal. People do need to have cars to get to their places of education and work in order to provide for their families. It is just unacceptable.

My colleagues brought forward the motion in February, and there were solutions. That motion was agreed by Government, but nothing has happened of real substance. It is absolutely clear, and I am sorry to say this, that the RSA appears not to be fit for purpose when it comes to driving tests and management of the system. There has been a failure to recruit the necessary personnel and put the necessary resources in place. I find it astonishing that we would say to somebody that he or she will have to wait seven months - it is longer in other places - for this essential test.

We appeal to the Minister of State to engage in some straight talking, to intervene and to have a plan, not just to agree. The Government made time available for these statements, but we need action now. What is happening is absolutely outrageous. The Minister of State knows better than anybody who represents a rural constituency what having a licence means to people.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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As my colleague Deputy Mac Lochlainn stated, people are waiting seven months for driving tests. As of April, 83,000 people were on the waiting list. Matters are getting worse because 10,000 more joined the list in the past three months. This is simply out of control, and the Government is sitting on its hands while it is happening.

In some cases, the impact on these individuals is immense. I have been contacted by a young woman who was born and bred in an Irish-speaking community in the Gaeltacht. Tá grá aici don teanga agus tá sí ag iarraidh a bheith fostaithe ag obair leis an teanga ó thaobh na teilifíse de agus a leithéid. She wants to work in the Irish language sector in television. She was offered a job, but she needs to travel for 25 minutes each day in order to access that job. She has a car, which she has been able to pay for, and insurance, which she has been able to pay for, but she needs an accompanying driver because she has not passed her driving test. She has to wait seven months. She has been left in a situation where she cannot take up that job. She will likely have to leave the Gaeltacht area in which she lives and move to a city where she can access transport in order to travel to and from work. It is absolutely ridiculous.

This is not an issue that fell out of the sky or happened overnight. It has been going on for a significant period. What we see are not improvements; we see the situation getting worse. It is no wonder that the Garda reported a 95% increase in the number of detections of unaccompanied drivers. This is because drivers simply either cannot go to work or they have to sit at home, so they are taking a risk and are getting caught by the Garda. Obviously, it is a risk they should not be taking. If there was an accident, they would not be insured. It is absolutely ridiculous. Are they doing this out of malice? Are they trying to beat the system or defy the rules? No, they are not. They want to drive legally. They want driving tests, and the State is preventing them from getting them within a reasonable period. It is not acceptable, and the Government needs to get its finger out and act on this. We need to give certainty to people about when this issue will be resolved and when it is likely that they will be able to sit their tests within the normal period.

Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Before I begin, I take the opportunity to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Garda Kevin Flatley, as well as to his colleagues in An Garda Síochána. It is an unimaginable tragedy that his life would be taken as he was carrying out his duties in the interests of making our roads safer. Reading the tributes from those who knew him and worked with him, we really get a sense of what a thoroughly decent man he was. My thoughts are with all of those who loved him. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

It is not that long ago that we were discussing this issue on foot of a constructive motion brought forward by Deputy Daly and Sinn Féin. It was a practical motion. It was reasonable and constructive and the Government did not oppose it, which was welcome. Reading back over the transcript of that debate, though, there was a noticeable absence of any sort of commitment from the Minister or his junior Ministers to implement any of the calls made in the motion. They were not calls asking the Ministers or the Government to move the sun, moon and stars. They were simply asking the Government to take responsibility and act to address the backlog and waiting times for driving tests. I am happy to be corrected if I am wrong, but the only squeak I have heard from the Department on this issue in the more than two months since that debate was a single press release entitled "Minister Canney instructs the Road Safety Authority to address Driver Testing delays". I hope he would do that.

The Minister of State's press release referred to an RSA plan to bring wait times back to ten weeks by November next. The junior Minister told the RSA to review the plan and bring the date forward. I am certainly glad he is treating the issue with urgency now. I appreciate the clarity he has brought today stating that the waiting times will be brought down or that the aim is to bring them down to a ten-week target by September. Forgive me if I do not hold my breath on that. We heard from previous transport Ministers that this issue would be sorted by particular dates and then those targets were missed. We would then be given another date and that would also be missed. The first of these promises came in April 2023, when the then Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, said that wait times would be down to ten weeks by the end of quarter 1 of 2024. Two years later, however, matters have become much worse.

Even since we discussed this issue in late February, the national average waiting time has increased from 24 weeks to 27 and a half weeks, which does not bode particularly well. As we know, in some places, learner drivers have to wait far longer, including in Tallaght in my constituency. At the test centre there, waiting lists are the longest in the country, standing at a whopping 43 weeks. This means that about 18,500 people in Tallaght are waiting approximately ten months each for a test. This is just not good enough. This is having real, tangible knock-on effects for my constituents in Dublin South-West. I have been contacted by numerous people who are affected by the backlog and the wait times, as we all have been across the Dáil in our various constituencies.

One young constituent who got in touch with my office has a mother with Alzheimer's disease who is no longer able to drive. My constituent has not been able to help her because he is still waiting for a driving test. There is a financial impact for this young lad as well because having already spent a considerable amount of money on the mandatory 12 driving lessons, in circumstances where he has no one to accompany him in the car and while he is waiting so long for a driving test, he is spending more money getting a few supplementary lessons to make sure the rules of the road, etc., remain fresh in his head before he does his driving test in ten months' time.

Another constituent was in touch to say that he had applied for a driving test in mid-April and had been given an estimated test date of 12 January 2026. This constituent is one of the tens of thousands of adults stuck living at home with his parents. In his contact with my office, he was keen to stress that he did not usually get upset by things he could not control, such as the housing crisis, but the massive backlog in waiting times was really getting to him.

This is not just about having a driver's licence for the sake of it. We are seeing people missing out on job opportunities and students dropping out of college because of the lack of decent public transport options. Much-needed apprentices, those who will be working and helping us to get out of the present housing crisis, need vehicles to get to and from jobs and to carry equipment. They are forced to either pause or drop out of their apprenticeships altogether because they cannot get driver licences.

There are other knock-on effects, some that are particularly concerning like the impact on our paramedic services, the haulage sector and public transport provision. Ultimately from a transport-emissions perspective, we need to see public transport and active travel being the preferred and most accessible transport option for the majority of people, but regrettably we are not there yet. Issues remain over connectivity, accessibility and reliability of our public transport networks. Despite a very welcome increase in Local Link buses brought in by the last Government there is still a lack of public transport in some part parts of the country and this needs to be urgently addressed.

As it stands, the reality is that many people are forced to rely on private car use through no fault of their own and so it is imperative that these wait times are sorted out. Investment in the RSA to help it address this issue as well as the Government's plans for investment in new road infrastructure must be done in tandem with significant investment in public transport and active travel infrastructure and services. So that we are not so reliant on private car use, those options, those alternatives, need to be available to everyone.

As the Minister of State alluded to, for-profit, third-party apps are popping up telling users when and where tests have been cancelled, effectively allowing them to skip the queue for online places but at a price. I welcome that the RSA is aware of this and is hopefully clamping down on it. I have concerns about people's personal data being shared with these anonymous and unaccountable third-party applications run by private companies. There is some merit in the RSA, itself, offering some service like this. There were similar issues with the online booking system for immigration permissions and visas in about 2016 and these issues were resolved successfully by the Department of Justice. Perhaps some lessons can be learned from that because it is clearly not an efficient use of resources if test slots go unfilled, especially given the current backlogs and waiting times. The last thing we want is a slot not being used because of a last-minute cancellation. While there is some place for these real-time updates to people, I would much prefer if the State were giving these updates in real time rather than relying on for-profit private companies that we cannot trust doing it.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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As the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, will be well aware, a car is an absolute necessity in any rural part of Ireland now. In a number of parts of my constituency of Cork North-Central, a car is an absolute necessity because public transport is not available. The Minister of State will be just as inundated as I am by the number of people contacting us looking for representations to get their driving tests much faster than the predicted date. I concur with everything my colleague Deputy Ahern said in his speech. A man in Mallow has been waiting for nine months for a driving test and that is only an estimation of the date as opposed to actually getting a test. If someone gets a test date, there is no guarantee that the test will actually be fulfilled on that date. That is the issue we are having with driving tests across the country.

Yesterday, I spoke about the lack of apprentices in the fields that we so badly need, particularly plumbers, carpenters and tradespeople. The majority of these people also rely on the car as a means of transport because public transport is not freely available to them. However, these people cannot rely on the car if they cannot get to do a test. That is simply the bottom line here. A young man my own age living just outside Mallow contacted me. He wants to be a paramedic but unfortunately had to turn down the position of paramedic this year because his driving test had not been completed.

While the announcement of new testers to be added to the system is absolutely to be welcomed, we cannot wait until November 2025 to see the full allocation of testers. I appreciate that testers are to be added and the Minister of State might clarify that. It is very important that testers be added immediately and fast-tracked as quickly as possible. I appreciate the Minister of State will do everything in his power, but it is people of my age who are suffering from this. We cannot continue to have a flawed system. I would appreciate if the Government could fast-track the number of testers in the system while also importantly providing public transport in rural parts of our constituencies.

Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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I have a deep sense of frustration with the testing system in the country, particularly in Nenagh. I feel the need to vocalise the frustrations particularly of young people who regularly contact me in my constituency office. Nenagh has one of the lowest pass rates, if not the lowest, in the country. It is well below 40% while the national average appears to be somewhere just about 50% at the moment. Waiting times are excessive and are increasing. It is deeply frustrating for young people in a rural area like the constituency I represent or the constituency the Minister of State represents to put their names forward only to be told to sit back for a few months awaiting an invitation to apply. When they get the invitation to get their date, they have to wait a number of months more. People aged 17, 18 or 19 in a rural area want that bit of independence. They may have a summer job or a part-time job but cannot get to that because they cannot get their test in time. They are doing everything right, doing their lessons and meeting all of the requirements but then they are sitting and waiting. I am trying to get across that sense of frustration today because that sense of frustration has been brought to me so regularly in my constituency office.

I also have an issue with tests that do not go ahead for one reason or another, such as a problem with the tax disc or a problem with the lights. I accept that the car needs to be roadworthy and safe, which is fair enough. However, what happens to that slot when we have such a backlog in Nenagh? It does not get filled. The driver tester has to go back in and wait for the next person to come. Cancellation slots and priority slots are very difficult to get, and it is really frustrating for young people waiting for that.

Another example relates to apprentices. A number of people of a younger age are mad to start an apprenticeship. We need them to start their apprenticeships and yet often it is being held up. It is hard to get priority from the RSA to get their test dates moved forward or get them into a cancellation slot.

I welcome the chance to raise this here today because it is very important, particularly to the young people I represent, that those concerns are heard and addressed. We need more testers and we need them rapidly. We need to investigate why some centres like Nenagh have such an appalling fail rate compared with others. I hope those concerns will be taken on board today and can be brought back to Government.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State's initial comments where he outlined the measures he had taken to try to repair this system which is clearly broken. While I recognise that this is something he has inherited, the measures he outlined at the outset of the debate will go some way towards remediating the issues presented here. As has been well outlined by others, it is deeply frustrating for people who want to move on. They may have a professional opportunity. I am familiar with the case of someone who wants to emigrate and wants to get a driver licence beforehand, but unfortunately may not be able to do so by the time that person is due to leave. I share the concerns of others.

I will talk locally for a minute. At the outset of his contribution, the Minister of State mentioned that the time people were waiting for the invite varied from location to location. I think he mentioned 42 weeks as being one of the longest.

I know where that is. That is in the west of Galway city. I would support any effort to increase the number of testers in that location.

I have a query about the personnel who work in each testing centre. Something I find puzzling has to do with how there are two test centres in the environs of Galway city, one in Carnmore in the east and the other in Clybaun in the west. There are nearly 1,300 applications in Carnmore, with an estimated time to invite of 21 weeks, and just over 1,100 in Clybaun, with an estimated time to invite of 42 weeks. While both centres have approximately the same number of applicants, the time one must wait in Clybaun is twice what it is in Carnmore. Could we get some clarity on that? Do all test centres have the same staffing levels? The Minister of State will be aware that the facility in Clybaun is a temporary one but it is important that we maintain a driving test centre on the west side of Galway city. We hope the Minister of State will help to remediate the traffic concerns of Galway. Having a test centre on each side of the city is important.

I was approached recently by somebody who had availed of a driving licence in the US, moved to France, had that US driving licence recognised in France, was given a French driving licence, came to Ireland and despite having an EU licence in France, cannot get an Irish driving licence to replicate the US one. I would like the Minister of State to examine this.

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I will continue in the same vein as some of the other Deputies from across the country. People from my constituency also use test centres in neighbouring constituencies. People from north Kildare would have used Fonthill in the past, but they now use Tallaght and Naas predominantly. We have seen wait times increase. My colleague in north Kildare, Deputy Cronin, referenced a 28-week waiting time in Naas while her colleague referenced 43 weeks in Tallaght. Those are the waiting times for people in north Kildare. When I looked at the website today, the first note I saw from the RSA said that a reasonable waiting time would be between ten and 12 weeks. Obviously, we are missing those basic targets.

I want to be fair because this was an issue when I first started learning to drive many years ago. The waiting time could be a year or even 15 months, so it was not unusual then. It was wrong and made doing the test difficult for my friends and I. Ultimately, they were able to resolve the situation. I will not say the issue went away, but it definitely seemed to have repaired itself for the next generation of drivers. I do not know whether it is due to the pandemic or the subsequent impacts, we seem to be back to where we were in 2010 and 2011 and we have seen a deterioration. The impacts are the same as they were when we went to do the test. Somebody looking to get a job or a student starting college needs to drive, which is becoming more common because of the lack of or difficulties with student housing as people come to Maynooth University. We know bus and rail services are under pressure. My constituency has seen increased fares in the third area of the county.

I welcome the work of the Minister of State and the opportunity to discuss it with him on behalf of the citizens of north Kildare.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber because this discussion is timely in view of the fact that so many of us have been bombarded by constituents. I support all of the contributions made so far. A total of 80,000 people nationally are waiting for tests. That is quite a substantial number, consisting of young people, students, and people wanting to get access to education or employment. Not being able to avail of a test places a restriction and real burden on people.

In recent times, there have been targeted advertisements on social media encouraging people to travel abroad to sit their driving tests. Regardless of whether this is a legal or viable pathway forward, it speaks volumes about the level of frustration people are feeling. We have to be honest. We should not be expecting people to travel considerable distances to avail of a driving test. The backlog needs to be tackled head on. I applaud the Minister of State for saying that he will do just that. We need additional testers, extended testing hours and a properly resourced plan from the RSA to bring the numbers down quickly.

In the meantime, we cannot ignore the alternative, which is public transport. Ever morning in my constituency, we see students and workers heading into Galway city shoulder to shoulder in a two-carriage train service at maximum capacity. This should not be the case and we need to work with Irish Rail to improve capacity, particularly on morning services.

We all know there is an issue with delays but it would be fundamentally wrong to blame Covid-19 for all of these ills. Resources are the biggest issue we have. In that regard, I would ask the RSA to do what the Minister of State has suggested, that being, to improve capacity and turnaround times and ensure that the people who are waiting for far too long can avail of a driving test so they can get that first job.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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There were 18,000 people on the lists at the Tallaght driving test centre at the start of this year. This was the highest figure in the State. The Minister of State and I had one or two conversations about it. It was taking seven months on average to get a test. It was reported at the start of April that the Road Safety Authority was planning on opening an additional driving test centre in south Dublin. This is something I have been advocating for in the House for several years and while I am glad that there has finally been an acknowledgement of the problem, it should never have taken this long. There has been a refusal by successive Governments to accept that no test centre is meeting the statutory maximum of ten weeks under the service-level agreement. Ten weeks is all it should take, but one could be waiting up to ten months at some testing centres.

More and more learner drivers are being stopped on the roads driving unaccompanied. I am not condoning it but what can we expect to happen when people have done their lessons and we then force them to wait for six, eight or ten months for a test?

What the people of south Dublin want to know is whether a location has been identified for the new testing centre. Has a recruitment campaign for staff begun and when can we expect the first test to be held? These are reasonable questions. None of this should take more than a few weeks. The demand is clearly there. There are only two other centres in south Dublin, namely, in Tallaght and Deansgrange. That presents a huge choice of areas to place a new centre. I raised this matter when Tallaght and Deansgrange had the highest numbers in the State. There should be no obstacles to the centre's opening soon unless there is a lack of political will to do so. If the Government and the RSA are serious about their obligations to learner drivers, it will be up and running before the end of the summer because the level of service currently being provided simply is not good enough. We are denying people access to employment, education and childcare and it cannot continue.

I am probably in one of the lucky areas because it is an urban area and there is alternative transport but one hears of students who cannot get to the likes of UCD because of really poor service. While we should be improving public transport and encouraging its use, we cannot deny that, for many, learning to drive is an important life skill in itself and a driver licence is one of the most popular forms of identification for use in everyday life. My focus is on Tallaght because I am its local representative, but this cannot stop with Tallaght. We need to identify where population demands necessitate additional centres and we need to ramp up the number of permanent testers. Every week and month we delay is only adding thousands of learner drivers to a chronically overloaded system. The Minister of State should do whatever he can. It needs to be fixed and the sooner, the better.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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The last time we discussed driving test wait times was in February as part of a Sinn Féin motion. At that time, the wait time in Wicklow was 26 weeks. It is now 33 weeks so the situation has got unusually worse.

In Meath, the wait time is now a staggering 43 weeks. According to CSO data, wait times have grown in nearly every county. The situation is going backwards, unfortunately. It is clear there is a systemic problem. There are issues with the RSA and I welcome the fact that there will be a review of that entity. I also welcome the fact that the Minister of State is taking this seriously and gave the RSA a two-week deadline to come up with solutions. It would, unfortunately, appear that he has been sold a pup. In the solutions in the report he has been given by the RSA, I see nothing that will make the difference we need. It talks about hurrying up the recruitment process. Last September, the Government sanctioned the recruitment of 70 new testers. Are any of them in place? The RSA is just starting recruitment. That recruitment process is taking an incredibly long time This was also mentioned in February. It is a long time for any recruitment process.

The other thing that is noticeable to me is that I do not know what the salaries are for those jobs but they are fixed-term contracts. Is that not the case? Are they not fixed-term contracts for less than two years? The Minister of State is shaking his head. Are they full-time jobs? They are. Are there going to be any fixed-term contracts? That was a part of the problem. Those who were recruited were on fixed-term contracts for 18 months. Of course, that makes it difficult to provide job security.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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That is in the past.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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That is in the past and going forward, they will be full-time jobs. I welcome that.

I was not aware that these staff can be moved. One could be living in Dublin and be required to go to a centre that is a long commute away. I imagine that lack of certainty makes it difficult to recruit when people are required to travel considerable distances.

I acknowledge the current staff, who have been put in a difficult position in recent years. I can imagine that the stress for someone who is the only tester in a particular county is difficult. The RSA needs to look at pay and conditions to ensure that it is offering a job people wish to apply for and that it includes job security.

As I mentioned during the previous debate, we need the same kind of provision under the service-level agreement as we have with the NCT to the effect that if the RSA does not provide the test within a certain period, it is free. If there were a financial sanction on the RSA to the effect that if it did not provide the test within the ten-week period, the test was free, it would move the RSA along considerably in terms of providing this fundamental function.

I am worried that coming up to the new college term, many young people who have been unable to get their tests will be driving unaccompanied because they cannot get housing or accommodation where they are going to college. It is important that the RSA expedite this to ensure that people who need a car for college or a job can get their tests. We do not want any more learner drivers who should not be driving unaccompanied doing so, as we have seen to date.

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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The waiting time for the driving test needs to be treated like the emergency it is. The situation is getting worse, not better. As of April, the average wait time for the Wilton driving test centre in Cork was 35 weeks. In March, the relevant figure was 31 weeks. For the test centre in Mallow, the average wait time is 36 weeks, which is nine months. These are not just numbers. They represent thousands of real people across Cork who are stuck in limbo. These are young people seeking independence, people who need to drive for work and apprenticeships, and many others who require a licence to get on with their lives. Somebody said in jest recently that it would be easier to train to become an astronaut than to get a driving licence in Cork at the moment.

I welcome the Department's sanction for additional permanent driving tester contracts and I hope that will bring down the wait times. The problem is that we have been here before. One instructor told me that he had watched time and again as the waiting lists went up from six months to eight months, temporary contracts were introduced, which meant waiting lists went down, but then they went back up again thereafter. It is good that there are permanent contracts now but we must ask why the Department did not see this coming. Why is the Department not constantly hiring driving testers? It seems to be reacting to waiting lists rather than planning ahead.

I will propose some solutions. We should extend the testing times, particularly in the summertime when we have more daylight and longer days. We should consider offering overtime to testers and offering tests on Sundays, particularly when new testers are coming on board. As my colleague mentioned, consideration should be given to whether people should get a refund if they are waiting longer than the ten-week target set by the Department and committed to last year by the Tánaiste, Deputy Harris.

Getting a driving licence should not be so difficult. No one should have to wait for nine months. The current system is clearly not functioning and we need a solid response.

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State for his statement. The crisis in driver test waiting times is disproportionately affecting rural constituents and people in towns such as Youghal, where public transport links are extremely poor. The rural bus link improvements that, in fairness, we saw in some parts of the country during the previous term of Government unfortunately did not reach villages such as Whitegate, Ballycotton, Cloyne, Clonnagh and Mogeely.

The housing crisis has meant that many young people are unable to afford student accommodation and must live at home. They are, therefore, reliant on a car. We know that a large proportion of people do not pass the test on the first attempt and, therefore, long waits have a cumulative effect on them.

I have been contacted by numerous people in my constituency of Cork East whose working lives and college lives have been seriously disrupted as they await tests. One constituent who got in touch in recent weeks told me that her daughter had been awaiting a test since November 2024 and her projected test date would be in August 2025. She lives in a part of rural north Cork from where it is not possible to travel to work by public transport.

A constituent from Fermoy contacted me recently to say that a relative's driving test in Mallow was cancelled for the second time in two weeks with less than 12 hours' notice. My constituent had to book off two days of annual leave to drive her relative to the test.

There has been recent correspondence from the Minister of State's Department outlining the recruitment drive by the RSA, the freeing up of unused test slots and the availability of overtime for test drivers. The Minister of State also spoke about permanent contracts. All of that is welcome, but as my colleague, Deputy Whitmore, pointed out, the recruitment process is far too excessive. We need a greater sense of urgency from the Department to address the issue.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State for his statement. I can imagine how difficult it is to sit here and listen to every single Deputy talk about the challenges in his or her area, but I am going to have to add my own to the list. Being unable to get a test affects people in so many different ways. It is not just about their independence. It is about being able to reach whole swathes of the country that are only accessible by car. Many constituents have contacted me about how their inability to get a test is stopping them from availing of job and educational opportunities. Those with caring responsibilities have it even worse. It is hugely frustrating and out of their control. It simply represents a public service that is not given the resources it needs.

I will give the Minister of State a sample of some of the most recent emails I have received. One woman has been waiting for a test for more than 39 weeks. An individual has been told to wait eight months for a test. A student who needs to sit the test to drive to college has a nine-month wait ahead. A young man desperately needs a full licence because his job requires it but has been given a wait time of months before he can sit the test.

Although this is a perennial problem that arises again and again, the solutions do not have to be that complex. We must create and fill new posts. We must ensure that the terms and conditions are adequate. As my colleagues have pointed out, it is not fair that we would ask too much of one person in one centre and be dependent on him or her. We need to plan so we do not reach these crisis points again and do not have to reiterate the frustrations of all our constituents, who are contacting us about these issues.

We can speed up these processing times without compromising standards, which is crucial, but it requires investment in overall capacity.

Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I raise the lack of a driving test centre in Drogheda town. Louth Deputies have beaten a path to the RSA over the years and have continuously raised this issue in the Chamber. All they have ever received are generic replies stating that the Office of Public Works, OPW, and the RSA are continuing to try to find a suitable site. It is on record that a number of these sites have been proposed, yet nothing seems to please the OPW or the RSA.

It beggars belief that despite the suggestions from various TDs, including my former colleague Fergus O'Dowd, not one suitable site can be found in Drogheda. A site needs to be identified with urgency as the population of County Louth and Drogheda is growing rapidly and we are completely out of sync with the rest of the country. I will give an example. Counties Carlow, Laois, Offaly and Kilkenny have nine testing centres to service a population of 340,000. Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan have four test centres to service a population of more than 500,000. That is over half a million people. Portlaoise town has a population of 24,000 and has two test centres. Drogheda has a population tipping 50,000 and no test centre. This is grossly disproportionate and hugely unfair to the people of County Louth and of Drogheda and the surrounding areas. I seek the Minister of State's urgent attention and ask him to intervene and secure a site for a driving test centre in Drogheda. Given the length of time it has taken up to now to get nowhere, I am asking the Minister of State to help us to get somewhere.

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for facilitating this debate. I have heard him debating the topic in the Dáil previously and I appreciate he gets the severity of the problem. It is difficult to understand how we are still in this position. Over two years ago, in my previous role as councillor, I had a motion on delays in driving tests. At the time I got a response from the RSA which indicated recruitment was taking place and it was working hard to address the issue. Unfortunately, it has got worse rather than better. The impact it has on people's lives has been outlined. It disproportionately impacts young people because they are, by and large, the people seeking a driving test. Many of them do not have access to public transport so it is putting their lives on hold in terms of plans for work, travel, personal endeavours and so on. People send us emails outlining their circumstances and the reasons they desperately need a driving test for health, personal or family reasons. I know the Minister of State understands this and is doing everything he can. I welcome the initiatives that have been undertaken: the push for recruitment, the full-time contracts and the overtime. We have to look at shorter term solutions. There has to be a reset and we have to clear the delays currently in the system so people have a reasonable waiting time. I understand ten weeks is the objective of the RSA.

The application process needs to be looked at. It is quite cumbersome. I have had several contacts from people saying they have received numerous invitations to try to get a slot but when they look for one, there is none available. That can be very frustrating. I ask the Minister of State to continue trying to improve the situation. As well as plans for recruitment and so on, we have to look at short-term measures to get the reset in place and clear the huge backlog.

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Recently published data reflecting a consistent increase in waiting times for driving tests is deeply concerning. I welcome the Minister of State's opening statement and thank him. This has been a focus for him since his appointment and, as Chair of the Oireachtas committee on transport, I look forward to working with him.

The RSA's target of a ten-week average waiting time is not being met. One year ago, it was 15 weeks. In January, it had risen to 21 weeks, and by last month, it was more than 24 weeks. In my home town of Clonmel, the waiting time is 28 weeks. In Tipperary town, it is also 28 weeks. I have heard colleagues in the Chamber say it is as high as 48 weeks in some test centres. It is simply not good enough.

As Chair of the Oireachtas committee on transport, I can confirm that, in consultation with my fellow members, consideration is being given to inviting the RSA as our first witness. I will be consulting all committee members on this. Our first meeting is scheduled for next week to agree a work programme.

These waiting times are bad for those frustrated by delays and detrimental to the overarching goal of this Government, this Chamber and this society to reduce road deaths and create safer roads for everybody. We have to be steadfast in our determination to build capacity in the RSA to cope with the current testing demand. I also hope in the near future we will legislate as a Chamber for the issue of learner permits. I suspect demand will subsequently grow as well.

We need to be more ambitious. Ten weeks' waiting time is too long. When an individual has completed the 12 compulsory lessons, he or she should be able to sit a test within four weeks. I call for a review of the service level agreement with the RSA.

I look forward to engaging with the Minister of State, my colleagues on the Oireachtas committee on transport and, crucially, the RSA constructively and productively in a bid to get to the bottom of why waiting times have grown so considerably in recent months and what can be done to address this as a matter of priority. We need action from the RSA so our young people can realise the ambition at 17 or 18 years of age to achieve a full driving licence.

Tom Brabazon (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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Looking at the whole problem, it is evident the national average waiting time for a driving test is 27 weeks. Waiting times in Raheny test centre in my constituency are up from 15 weeks in April last year to 33 weeks in April this year. That means if you book a test now, you may not get it until December or January. In Killester test centre, waiting times are up from 17 weeks in April 2024 to 25 weeks in April 2025. That could mean waiting until October. This has a huge impact on young people in particular as they are the cohort most often looking to become qualified drivers. For many young people, learning to drive marks a significant milestone in their transition to adulthood. It empowers them to take control over their own mobility, no longer relying on parents or guardians. A driver's licence enables access to everyday activities like work, sports, volunteering, education and healthcare without having to rely on others. It allows young people to take some of the burden from their parents or guardians by driving younger siblings to school, sports activities, shopping, medical appointments, etc. For families dealing with illness or disability, having a young driver in the home can be life-changing, providing flexibility, safety and timely support.

Many jobs require a driver's licence as a condition of employment, especially in trades, construction, healthcare and delivery services. A large number of apprenticeships programmes require learners to have at least a learner permit. Workers in hospitality, retail, care and emergency services often start or finish outside public transport hours; therefore, a licence is essential to employability. Some education courses require a driver's licence, like paramedic studies in the University of Limerick. A constituent of mine has been in touch to seek help for her son, who wished to apply for this course as he aspires to become a paramedic. However, the University of Limerick has a strict requirement that students must hold a full driver's licence to secure a place in the programme in January. The closest date was in June.

We require a learner driver to be accompanied by a qualified driver. There must be an accompanying quid pro quo of an efficient driving test system, allowing people to have their test done expeditiously. Will the Minister of State look at employing, on a temporary basis, driving instructors from the commercial schools?

Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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In February this year, I addressed the House during a debate on a Sinn Féin Private Members' motion in relation to the driving test backlog.

We outlined our proposal to address the backlog, not for the first time. I ask the Department to redouble its efforts regarding the recognition or exchange of international driving licences. This would decrease the number waiting, whether it be the long-term diaspora seeking to return home or those arriving to work in the health service. With a shortage of carers, this has to have the potential to alleviate the backlog while contributing positively in other areas.

The Minister for Transport should want to intervene to address the ever-growing backlog relating to driving tests, a backlog that prevents people from being able to drop their children to school, drive to important appointments, take up employment in all areas, go to college or simply go about their ordinary day-to-day business. Let us take stock of the impact the Minister has had to date. In the past two months, since Sinn Féin brought forward the Private Members’ motion, in County Monaghan, to give an example, the waiting time grew from 20 weeks to 22 weeks and the number of tests carried out decreased by 27%. It is not surprising, therefore, that the waiting time for tests has grown by 12% while the number of tests scheduled decreased by over one third.

The worsening situation is not surprising given we have 50% fewer testers today than we had at the beginning of 2023. There is currently just one sole tester in County Monaghan. We need more testers and more centres. By the summer’s end in County Monaghan, and in every county at this rate, we are on track to see a dramatically increased number of people waiting up to six months for a driving test. They will be out of pocket and their lives will be negatively impacted, and the Minister will ultimately be responsible.

What I ask of the Minister, and it is bizarre that it must be asked of him, is to take ownership of this issue, accept that, as Minister for Transport, he is ultimately responsible, and take on board and implement Sinn Féin's proposals to tackle the backlog. What is needed now is urgency from the Minister for Transport. Please do not pass the buck to the RSA or any other State agency, tsar or kaiser that the Minister may dream up.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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To conclude, I ask the Minister to please hire more testers, create more test centres and allow the exchange of international driving licences.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I point out to Members that we need to prepare within the time allowed. I call Deputy Murphy.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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I wish to share time with colleagues.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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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.

Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)
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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.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I welcome the opportunity to speak. As has already been pointed out, the consequences of the debacle are that younger people and those without a full licence are paying huge insurance costs. On top of that, it is limiting people from taking the opportunities that are there for work and education, and it is also contributing to isolation. Having said that, I reiterate what Deputy Murphy said about the need for integrated public transport.

I welcome the Minister's speech and that he is taking a hands-on approach, but I find it difficult to understand how this happened. I know we have had an independent review of the Road Safety Authority and that there will be changes. However, it seems to me that the Road Safety Authority had been shouting for some time that it did not have enough staff. The Minister in his speech took pride in the fact that we have sanction for temporary driving testers on a two-year contract and we now have sanction for 200 permanent driving testers. I have no idea how this could not have happened in a proactive manner given the service level agreements between the Government and this entity. What happened? What was the fault with the service level agreement? What were the penalties if the targets were not reached? It is not that I am big into penalties; I am more into doing it correctly and learning from our mistakes.

How did this happen? If the Road Safety Authority back in March pointed out that it needed extra driving testers and the Government responded by sanctioning two-year contracts, how was it not seen then that this service was in trouble? Why did it not look at the service level agreement and what was necessary, given the backlog and the increase in the number of people? People are waiting nine or ten months for a driving test, with awful consequences, and there are also about 8,000 who are not showing up. I realise that certain changes have been made for the good, and that people can get a test if somebody cancels at short notice and so on. However, this is a public service that should operate in a very positive way. It should be the good side of the public service, where trained people are given tests to enable them to be more independent. Instead, we are talking about a debacle.

On the point raised by my colleague from Galway West regarding the moving of the driving centre to Knocknacarra from Westside, I ask for an assurance that it will go back to Westside as soon as possible.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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The importance of the driving licence issue cannot be overstated, in particular for workers in rural areas. For example, in County Laois, many workers have to get to work in Portlaoise, Mountmellick, Portarlington or Graiguecullen and they are travelling from outlying areas such as the Swan, Ballinakill, Errill, Rathdowney and other areas where there is no public transport early in the morning, or any area in the Slieve Bloom mountains, such as Camross, Clonaslee and places like that.

It is important that we fix this. Public transport will never cover all townlands, and I accept that. We are trying to link up the villages and great progress has been made on this with Local Link, but often a village is five miles away and people need a car to get there. People also need a driver's licence for their employment. Take, for example, home help as typical. People in construction and delivery drivers all need a clean driver licence.

There has been a big crackdown on driving with a provisional licence and the Garda is very active on it. We accept this needs to happen. People cannot be on a provisional licence forever. There is also the fact that a lot of young drivers pay sky-high insurance because they cannot get a driver test, or a second or third driver test to get over the line to get a full driver's licence. We need to deal with this.

It is very important that we improve and shorten testing times. This has gone on for years. I and other Deputies have raised this many times over several years with various Ministers but it has got worse. The figures for those waiting for a test, and the length of time they are waiting, are absolutely shocking. The average estimated wait time is 27 weeks, as the Minister of State confirmed. For an invitation, which does not guarantee a test, the wait time is six months in Birr in Offaly and more than six months in Portlaoise. There could be an additional six, seven, eight or nine weeks before people actually get the test. I have the figures that show this. I tried it myself on the website to see what would happen and it confirmed that it takes more than seven months to get an invitation. The numbers waiting for a test are shocking. There are 1,092 people waiting in Portlaoise and only 216 of these are scheduled for a test. The statutory maximum time is not being met and that is a breach of the service level agreement.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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This is a public body accountable to the Minister.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Prepare to speak within the time. We now move to a Government slot.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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We need to employ more testers. In the meantime, in the short term, we should give people overtime to clear the backlog and deal with this issue.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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The time should be reduced to six weeks and not 12 weeks.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy Stanley's time is up.

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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When it comes to driver testing wait times, the story in Dublin Bay North is no different from anywhere else. In February 2025, Raheny had a wait time of 33 weeks, up from 14 weeks in February 2024. The pass rate in Raheny is 55.1%. The number of tests done in Raheny in April 2025 was 468, which was down from 642 in April 2024. This is a reduction of almost 30%. There is a similar story in Killester, with a wait time of 28 weeks. The RSA target, as colleagues mentioned, is ten weeks. The pass rate in Killester was 45.5% in April this year and the number of driver tests done was 316, which was down 35%.

On the other side, statistics from An Garda Síochána for Dublin metropolitan region north show the number of learner drivers caught driving unaccompanied was up from 200 in quarter 2 of 2023 to 324 in quarter 2 of 2024. The number of vehicles seized also increased in a similar way. The need for reform of the RSA system in Dublin Bay North, like everywhere else, is confirmed by the high number of applicants who fail their driver test. As I mentioned, the percentage in Raheny is 45% and in Killester it is 55%. All of these candidates who fail go back into the system, reapply and put more pressure on an already significant backlog. RSA reform in this area is urgent and long overdue.

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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As this is my first opportunity to speak, I want to take a moment to mark the sad death of Garda Kevin Flatley and extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues in An Garda Síochána, including those who knew him in O'Dwyer's GAA club in Balbriggan and St. Finian's GAA club in Newcastle.

As other Deputies have done, I will begin by acknowledging that waiting times for tests are far in excess of what is acceptable and it must be a priority, as has been set out by the Government and other Deputies, to reduce these waiting times to ten weeks as soon as possible. As have other Deputies, I have been inundated with contacts from constituents who are justifiably angry about the long wait for driver test appointments. This impacts on their personal and professional welfare. Notwithstanding the need to expedite the ability to exchange driver licences, some anecdotal evidence suggests people are going to other European countries, such as Georgia, to do their tests because the waiting times are much lower. This completely legal process sees the applicant acquire their licence in Georgia and then return to Ireland to exchange it for an Irish one a week or two afterwards. I am not casting aspersions on the Georgian testing system but I wonder whether it is the best way to teach learner drivers and embed a learner culture and learner behaviour. In Georgia people are allowed to overtake on roundabouts and they drive on the other side of the road. This needs to be taken into account in terms of how we encourage good driver behaviour on our roads for people who are starting out for the first time.

The issue calls into question the ability of the RSA to manage the system. Many constituents come to me to ask why it takes so many different stages to apply for driver test in this country. They ask why we cannot have a more streamlined approach. This is important because driver behaviour is a key determinant for road safety for all road users, not only motorists but also pedestrians and cyclists. An effective and efficient testing system is key to improving driver behaviour.

For people in my constituency, the Tallaght test centre has a wait period of more than 43 weeks, 20 weeks longer than it was at this point last year. This is too long and not acceptable, especially for those who need to access a driver licence for professional and personal opportunities. In recent weeks, the Government announced a second test centre in Tallaght, which will assist with the backlog. It is important this gets up and running as soon as possible. I acknowledge the steps that have been taken, such as the introduction of Saturday testing, additional morning and evening slots and the priority given to emergency services.

The big fear I have is that people perceiving the testing system to have so many delays in it will increase the number of no-shows, further compounding the issue we have, with more delays being clogged into the system. I know the Minister of State is aware of this but I encourage him to treat this as a priority in terms of the immediate need to deal with the backlog and to address the fact the RSA needs to be put in a position where it manages the system better.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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This is one of the things that utterly frustrates me as a Member of the House. Dealing with the delays in the driving system is not rocket science. It is about scheduling appointments for testing, resources being in place and the testing taking place. Perhaps I am oversimplifying it but it is not something that is beyond the realms of the delivery of a public service. I have to ask the RSA why it is tolerating the excessive delays. The excessive delays we are speaking about in my constituency are up to 31 weeks, slightly above the national average. It is something that affects the entire constituency. This year, thousands of children will sit their junior certificate and leaving certificate exams. Can we imagine if we said to them they would be sitting their exams at some point between now and Christmas but we cannot tell them exactly when, and they will have to apply a week beforehand to see whether they can get a date? We would not tolerate that and we should not tolerate this.

The backlog has built up over time. It needs an interim response to deal with the backlog, and then we need to get back to a system where there is a waiting time of between six and ten weeks. As I said, it is not beyond the realms of possibility; it is about the basic provision of a public service. As others said, it impacts on people's lives and on their insurance costs. It has an impact on their employment opportunities. It has an impact on their ability to plan and progress. It is no wonder we have so many non-attendees. If someone books an event six months ahead, how do they know what might pop up at that time? A non-attendance rate is being baked into the system when people are allowed to book so far ahead.

I welcome the indication of the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, that all options are on the table. This type of can-do attitude is exactly what is needed. Let us not forget there is a responsible authority in the Road Safety Authority. It is responsible for delivering a public service. If it is not able to do so, perhaps it is time we need to start thinking about who can do it. When we budget for, allocate and provide a public service we should not tolerate the inability of people to deliver that service. We have to get back to a reasonable period of a delay of somewhere around ten weeks. It is not tolerable that it would increase every year, which is what has been happening.

Edward Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have a proposal that might be a solution. We have all diagnosed the problem fairly well at this stage. A total of 83,000 applicants were waiting for driver tests in April. The proposal I have today may help solve the long driver test waiting times. Will the RSA work with the approved driver instructors, ADI, in a more effective way? Often the ADI are not fully aware of all aspects involved in a driver test. I call on the RSA to co-operate and use the ADI. The approved driver instructors comprise a large resource of approximately 2,000 people who are not being fully used. They would have a large impact on driver test waiting times if they could be utilised.

ADIs are trained, at great expense, to deliver driver education. All this knowledge and experience is not recognised by the RSA, however, even though it sets the standard for the ADI check test. Why not have driver-testing ADIs similar to those in the UK? An ADI will instruct someone and then use their professional judgment and experience to decide when he or she is ready for the test.

There is a disconnect in the present system from those who teach the learning outcomes - the essential driving training lessons - and those who are test those outcomes. This is causing the long waiting lists. Learners usually apply on the basis of the calendar as opposed to driving hours. Many no-shows are a result. Learners are not test ready as a result of a lack of educational direction.

An ADI-led training programme would be more beneficial. Currently, a learner driver applies for a test and can wait up to eight or nine months for it. They may contact the ADI for pre-test lessons. An ADI-led programme would allow ADIs, subject to training, to conduct tests outside their teaching areas. For example, a system of 25 hours of tuition plus additional personal driving hours and a three-week waiting list to sit the test would be better received by the public.

As stated, ADIs, have invested time and expense to be trained to RSA standards. Many have trained to a level in excess of the RSA standards through external testing qualifications, for example, the national diploma in advanced driving instruction, the Cardigan test and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents advanced driving test bronze, silver and gold. I am sure these qualified ADIs could, with additional training, make up the shortfall in the number of driving testers and help to reduce waiting lists to an acceptable level. The backlog, as other speakers pointed out, is creating many issues for those wishing to meet employment and education requirements, with many losing out on opportunities as a result of the long waiting lists.

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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The delays relating to driving tests have been going on for far too long. What is happening is causing huge stress for workers and is resulting in some having to turn down jobs or delay their starting dates while others, including college students, have longer commutes each week. When these delays started to become a serious problem a few years back, the excuse was that the backlog was due to Covid. That does not wash any more. The delays at the Raheny test centre in my constituency have jumped from 20 weeks in January to 32 weeks now. One constituent applied for a driving test in July of last year. She was informed that her test would take place in November. It was then pushed back to this month. That is a ten-month wait for a test. During that period, her workplace had moved back from allowing people to work remotely to having them on site four days a week. The fact she could not drive and had to take two buses instead added an extra ten hours to her commute each week. That is completely unacceptable.

If there is a surge in demand for services such as driving tests, it is the Government's job to provide additional resources. It is really not that difficult. This is merely another example of poor planning and poor management, and it has been dragging on for years.

We are even seeing companies popping up that are facilitating applicants taking driving tests in countries like Georgia that have short wait times and that allow tests to be taken in English. When they pass the test, they can exchange their licences for Irish ones. All this can be done in a matter of weeks and at a cost of up to €1,000. It tells you how desperate people are if they are availing of this option.

Waiting times must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Clearly, we need more capacity. That means more driving test centres and more permanent testers. What is happening is having a hugely negative effect on families, workers and students so Can we finally have a degree of urgency in respect of this matter?

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, said on 1 May, "The current delays in the driver testing system are simply not acceptable." He also said, "People deserve a national driver testing service that they can rely upon", and that he will continue to hold the RSA to account until we see meaningful progress. To be honest, we are all fed up of hearing the same old line over and over again. I have young adults and their parents texting and ringing me. They are begging me - as is the case with everyone here - to get driving tests for them. All we get back as TDs are the same generic answers and the usual spin.

Previous speakers referred to 35- and 43-week waiting times in Tallaght. I am delighted they got a second testing centre, and they deserve that. People in Skibbereen are waiting between 40 and 44 weeks for driving tests. For example, I am aware of the case of a young lad went to sit his test recently. The tester checked his insurance disc and said it was not valid as it was black. In fact, it was a dark green. I saw it because the young man brought it into the constituency office. A blind man would have seen what colour it was. The tester informed him he would not do the test for him and then went on to cancel other tests for that date - he obviously had a bad day - citing some excuse or other. The Garda has told the young lad his disc is correct. The insurance company has sent a letter to the RSA stating this was a correct disc but the latter will not admit that what happened to this young lad was wrong. I have asked the RSA to deal with this matter but to no avail.

I have young adults being offered jobs but they cannot take them up because they cannot get driving tests. The other side of it is that their insurance costs are not getting any lower because they have not passed their tests. I have parents who have terminal cancer and who need their children on the road to take them to hospital and to appropriate appointments. They cannot do so, however, because they cannot get driving tests. It is not good enough. Things have to change, and change immediately.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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I almost feel sorry for the Ceann Comhairle because she is hearing the same story over and over again from every Deputy who has spoken.

The Minister of State, Deputy Jerry Buttimer, and I share a constituency in Cork. He will be aware that 39 weeks is the average waiting time. We seem to be a country of waiting lists. We are very good at creating waiting lists and long waits for everybody. Families are being discommoded. It is not working.

The RSA is not fulfilling its duty. There was a suggestion made by other speakers - those on the Government benches made it as well - that we start using the services those who teach people to drive and use them, when suitably qualified, as testers.This would not mean that the driving instructor who gave a person their 12 lessons would give them their licence. However, we could start using the services of these people who are accredited and who have been teaching people how to drive for the past number of years or for the entirety of their careers. That should be allowed to happen, regardless of whether a guy is a driving instructor in Mallow and is testing someone in Cork or a guy from Cork is testing someone in Mallow.

The reality is that the current system is not working. Every TD has told the Minister of State that. Everyone has said the same thing over and over again today. So something is wrong. Something is broken.

Families are being discommoded continuously. Young people who cannot get to college are delaying taking up their courses and so on. What is happening is unacceptable. We are going to have to think outside the box a little.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Like others, I raised this matter back in February. There has been very little, if any, progress since that time. What is happening is quite frustrating for TDs constituents. This is not really a local issue, although I do want to raise a local aspect in a moment. There has been no real progress since February. I mentioned at the time the need to implement the service level agreement requirement of ten weeks as is set out in section 28 of the Road Safety Authority Act. When replying, will the Minister to State indicate if there are any real consequences for the RSA if this is not done?

I listened to the Minister of State's introductory speech. I welcome the fact that the RSA will have to report on various matters at two-week intervals. We will monitor that and see how it goes. I am not sure whether this will result in the system being any quicker but at least we will know in real time what is happening.

None of this explains the historic delays. Covid was mentioned. We have passed the fifth anniversary of the Covid restrictions at this stage, and we should have been addressing the backlog well in advance. While I very much welcome the current Government initiative, its arrival was belated. That is something we have to be careful of.

We need more driving test centres. Other TDs mentioned that there are requirements in their areas. In south Dublin, we used to have a number of centres in Churchtown and in the Terenure-Rathfarnham area. We have one in Tallaght at present. The RSA is looking at bringing one back in the south Dublin area. I have written to the authority to suggest that need two - one on the Lucan-Clondalkin side and the other in the south.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Incompetence is the defining characteristic of this Government, which has displayed a complete inability to deliver services.

In many areas, the USSR did a better job of delivering services than this Government. Right now, delivery of a whole range of services is grinding to a halt across the country. There are places in this country where you cannot get clean water from the taps. The electricity drops in 50,000 homes every week. We are talking about a very basic and simple service here but people are waiting 30 or 40 weeks for a driving test to be delivered. It is mind-boggling. It is bananas how this Government is just not able to deliver simple things. That is before we talk about the likes of the national children's hospital, the national maternity hospital or any of the other big projects the country is waiting for. Let us look at the urgency shown by this Government. The Dáil has sat for 35 days since the general election. That reflects a lack of urgency coming from the very top in the delivery of services in this country.

At the start of the year, Meath was already the county worst hit by delays in testing. That delay has grown a further eight weeks since the start of the year. The Government is talking about a national target of ten weeks. In Meath, people are waiting an average of 42 weeks to get a test. There should not be a waiting time of more than a fortnight to get a test but people are waiting 42 weeks. We were told in March that we were going to get three extra testers in the county but there is no sign of them as of yet.

I was recently contacted by a constituent who had failed a test. She went onto the website, which is atrocious and always crashing, and managed to get a date for her next test. She just failed last week. When is her date for the test? She will get a date for the test in January. This Government should hang its head in shame in light of the wait time for that particular woman. She said that when she left, she was told that four or five other people had roughly the same experience.

Never in my 18 years as an elected representative have I seen it this bad in County Meath. This is a particular problem for Meath because we do not have many transport options. We are the biggest commuting county in the country with 85,000 people having to commute to work every day. The vast majority of these have to commute outside the county. In no other county in the country does the majority of workers have to leave the county to get to work. Only 1,000 people per day use a train because the trains only skirt the edge of the county. Navan is the biggest town in the country without a rail line. We have been waiting on that. It has been promised by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for decades now. Many buses are now ghost buses but, if they do pass, they are often full before a passenger can get on. People therefore do not have an option. The Government is not providing a public transport system for them to get to work and it will not allow them to get a licence to drive a car to work. That is not fair.

If a person fails a test, they can now download an app to try to be put on a cancellation list. The Government is charging €45 for that app. Not only is it refusing to provide the service, but it is rubbing salt in the wounds of the constituent or citizen who is simply trying to get a cancellation date for his or her next test. It is not fair and it is in no way good enough.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Last year, nearly 19,000 vehicles were seized by An Garda Síochána for being uninsured following the introduction of the new Irish motor insurance database. That is a positive development that makes our roads safer. In comparison, gardaí seized approximately 5,000 vehicles from unaccompanied learner drivers even though there are approximately 370,000 learner permits in the State according to the RSA and an Aviva Insurance survey this year found that 28% of motorists had driven unaccompanied on a learner permit while only 36% of drivers said they had never done so and did not know someone who had. We need the same level of commitment in clamping down on unaccompanied learner drivers. Fourteen unaccompanied learner drivers were involved in collisions in 2023. Fines of €160 and two penalty points are simply not enough. The mixed messages to learner drivers need to end. The loophole whereby learner drivers can apply for a driving test but not take it and then keep driving with a provisional licence must be closed without further delay. Even though there is no excuse for unaccompanied learner drivers being on the road, a sluggish driver testing system, a culture that turns a blind eye and half-hearted penalties add to the practice.

Last week, it was reported in the news that our local driver testing centre in Mulhuddart had a waiting period of 28 weeks, which is very close to the current national average. However, people contacting my office say it is closer to 40 weeks. We gained a testing centre at Maple House but lost the centre at the Carlton Hotel and have seen a 54% increase in our waiting list since the end of 2022. The centre at Maple House alone has seen a 22.5% increase in its waiting list in just over a year, showing that demand is not just sustained, but accelerating. I ask the Minister of State to expand capacity, to recruit more testers, to extend opening hours, if needed, to put an end to the profiteering by some in securing cancellations and to ensure that people can access driving tests in a timely and fair way. We need a system that puts road safety and the integrity of driver behaviour first.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I am glad to have an opportunity to speak on this matter. I disagree with the previous speaker. I believe learner drivers should be allowed to drive without someone accompanying them in the car. I live in a rural county and west of Ennis there is no Luas line, no DART and no public transport of any significance. It is costing youngsters in the region of €600 to €1,000 per month to stay in on-campus student accommodation. They simply cannot afford it and it is not available anyway so mom and dad buy a car and get a learner permit for their son or daughter, who then drives that car to and from college every day, sometimes bringing other students who live in the catchment area to the college campus with them. We are criminalising all of these young people with the requirement that they must have an accompanying driver in the car with them. It is unacceptable. There is no public transport network and this criterion is unacceptable. It is criminalising a lot of young people who just cannot have that college experience on campus. They are living at home and using their car to get in and out. If there is a smarter or more sensible way to approach this, it is to work in tandem with the insurance sector because many insurance companies require learner drivers not to exceed a certain speed. Surely that is the way to have controls on how they drive rather than this punitive rule requiring them to always have an accompanying driver in the car with them, which is not realistic. The Minister of State can imagine that, if we were to really apply the spirit of that law in a rural area, the mom or dad would have to take time off work to drive their child to college and sit in the car while they attend eight hours of lectures before driving home. It just does not work in practice. The reality is that we are criminalising many young people every day with this.

I suggest that we look at a secondment system to get driving instructors into driving tester roles. I was a primary teacher for many years and, when there were gaps in our sector, people were seconded out of the classroom into the inspectorate or other roles supporting the education sector. In recent years, there seems to be a trend of testers leaving the role and going into private driving instruction. I am sure the hours are better. Perhaps the pay is better. I do not know the reasons but I am sure the Minister of State's officials can gauge that. To second some of them out or to require testers to move beyond their county and test across county boundaries in another town 30 or 40 miles away, as others have suggested, would free things up. The waiting lists in Clare are very long. This is very punitive in rural areas where we do not have the DART, the Luas or other public transport.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Like previous speakers, I have serious concerns about the significant delays to driving tests across my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. A solution to this issue needs to be accelerated as soon as possible. We have to allocate new testers to locations throughout the country that are experiencing long delays. The delays drivers in Carlow and Kilkenny are facing are just not acceptable. People spend months and months learning how to drive. It costs a lot of money but they are then met with a long waiting time for their tests. We have to do better. In the last month alone, I have spoken to people, mostly young people, from Piltown, Mullinavat, Stoneyford, Graiguenamanagh, Callan, Thomastown, Kells, Ballyhale, Kilmanagh, Ballyragget, Conahy, Paulstown, Saint Mullin's, Borris, Rathanna, Ballinakill and Bagenalstown, all of whom are waiting patiently to sit their tests. It is particularly unfair to our younger people, some of whom are desperate to get their driver's licence, perhaps for health or work reasons. It is just not acceptable. In Kilkenny, to get a new test, you are looking at 23 or 24 weeks depending on the test centre. In Carlow, it is either 24 or 26 weeks, depending on whether it is done in the Carlow centre or the centre at the Talbot Hotel Carlow.

These exponential waiting lists are unacceptable for learner drivers and they are just not fair. I was astonished recently to learn of the low number of driver testers throughout Carlow and Kilkenny. There are only five testers between the two counties. We cannot tackle the long waiting lists such as we have with only five testers. I am informed there is a process ongoing to hire and train more testers to the highest possible standards. I welcome the Road Safety Authority, RSA, approach to tackle these waiting lists and lack of testers. I believe that last September the Department sanctioned the recruitment of an additional 70 driver testers, bringing the overall driver tester headcount to 200, which is double the 2022 number of 100 but it is not enough. I understand that recruitment campaigns of this size can take time but I look forward to new driver testers being assigned to help tackle the backlog. Carlow and Kilkenny need to be prioritised.

Yesterday I spoke with a young woman who has been promoted in her job. She is absolutely delighted but as part of her new job and her new role she needs to be able to have access to a full driving licence. It is a requirement for work but she is prevented from advancing her career. She is on a waiting list to get a driver test and it is just not acceptable. Young apprentices in my constituency are on to me regularly with the same thing. They need the licence for work and there is no priority given for work purposes. It just needs to be improved and sped up dramatically.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The statements today from around the country have been quite insightful. Naturally many Deputies here are extremely frustrated with the delays they are seeing in their constituencies. In Kildare North, for example, 4,024 people are waiting for a driving test. That is up from 3,303 last year, which is 691 more for the same time period. We are also told that the national average waiting time in March 2025 stood at 24.1 weeks. Many Deputies here have complained about that delay and understandably so. In Kildare North it is 30 weeks, which is an additional six weeks to try to get a test in County Kildare. The difficulty is there is only one test centre in Kildare, which is based in Naas, and there is no other test centre throughout the county. If we look at the population centre of the north east of the county, where I hail from, around Maynooth, Leixlip, Celbridge and Kilcock, there is no test centre. As part of this, a test centre in that area would also be able to look after people in Meath coming from Dunboyne, and some people from Dublin, which is in close proximity.

I have had numerous representations made to me in relation to this. We have heard various stories about how these delays are impacting people on a human level. I will give just one example of a constituent who could not get a test in Naas, is on the list for a test in Tallaght, and has been waiting 43 weeks. This is almost ten months and far beyond what is being stated. He cannot pick up and drop off his young children from crèche and from school because he is still awaiting this test. Another constituent has been waiting almost seven months, which is 30 weeks. This is impacting her independence and ability to work. Many of the people who are being impacted are young people who are doing their driving test for the first time. It is just not good enough, particularly in rural areas but also in urban areas, and it is impacting families in particular.

I am asking two things. What are the Minister of State's plans to address this crisis in Kildare? Will a second test centre be opened in Kildare?

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Driving test waiting times are a shambles. This is clear from the discussion today. I regularly get emails from constituents. Constituents are given absurdly long waiting times to be called to sit their driving tests. This means people are forced to pay very high insurance costs because the Government simply cannot get its act together on this issue. I remember almost five years ago the issue was raised in the Chamber quite a lot. At the time Covid was the reason for delays in driving tests. We are, however, now in 2025 and we are still dealing with the issue.  The backlog has ballooned by more than 10,000 since the start of the year.

In February, Sinn Féin brought forward a motion proposing a suite of measures to tackle the issue head on. While the Government did not oppose the motion, it certainly seems it has ignored it.  The best we got was lip-service and there is probably more of that in stock today.

I recently received a query from one constituent who is a young mother. She is having to pay a very high rate of insurance. She badly wants to sit her test, but it is not scheduled to take place until later this year. She is also concerned that the driving centre in Clifden could close for the summer. I have written to the Minister of State's Department about this and I understand this will be passed on to the RSA, but I have not yet gotten confirmation about it. I am certainly hoping that nothing as daft as a test centre closing is planned given where we currently are with the backlogs. As of the end of last month, 1,277 people were waiting for a test in the Carnmore centre. There were 1,106 people waiting in the centre in the Clybaun Hotel, with 299 waiting in Clifden. Between February and April, the numbers waiting increased across all Galway-based test centres. The only ones who benefit from this situation are the insurance companies which can charge higher rates for longer. Great news for them as they increase premiums as per usual.

If people cannot do the test to get a full driving licence, it impacts on their lives. It has a huge impact for apprentices who might want to start their apprenticeship but it is a distance away and they need to be able to drive to it. This is a serious issue for them because they cannot start that apprenticeship. It is the same for somebody who wants to start a job in places that are more rural such as Clifden, which is one and a half hours drive from Galway. That is a serious issue for people. It is also a big issue for people who are trying to access housing. In Galway city, for example, often there are no houses within the HAP limit, which means people have to look further afield. If a person cannot drive, it is a serious issue.

This issue has been raised for a number of years now and we need to get to the bottom of it. We need to tackle the issue head on. I would like the Government to listen to the proposals by all Members on it. The Government did not oppose the Sinn Féin motion in February but there has not been action. That is why we are still dealing with the issue. I ask the Minister of State to please act.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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We move to the final speaking slot for other Members. We will begin with Deputy Carol Nolan.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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I have written to the new Chair of the Oireachtas transport committee to demand the appearance of senior management from the Road Safety Authority before the committee members. The RSA is clearly an organisation not fit for purpose, with an increasingly bad track record that is generating chaos for learner drivers and industry sectors such as hauliers. Last year there was a call, and indeed an expectation, that the RSA would be disbanded given its failure to tackle the learner driver waiting time crisis. Unfortunately, that came to nothing with the result that as of this March, over 81,000 people were waiting for a date for their test. This is a rise of 10,000 from the 75,000 who were waiting in February. We now have wait time increases of an average 24.1 weeks, which is a more than a 140% increase on the RSA target time of ten weeks. How is that defensible? How is the RSA still in place given the prolonged nature of this crisis, which is severely disrupting tens of thousands of people on an annual basis?

This is also causing huge concern to organisations such as the Irish Road Haulage Association, which through its own freedom of information investigation, has established that thousands of people are driving on provisional licences in Offaly. This clearly points to a system in absolute crisis. It also points to increased levels of danger on the roads because learner drivers are being forced to make hard choices between travelling to work and to apprenticeships or sitting at home with no access to work or education.

Gillian Toole (Meath East, Independent)
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Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit. Again, on this subject, we have unity in the House. We have a shambolic and an extortionate process that must change as a matter of urgency. I will ask a few questions as to why. Is there a problem with testers? Are there human resource issues? Is it population increase related? Is it a symptom of a public transport deficit? If we do not analyse the reasons, then we will not come to timely solutions.

Taking County Meath in its entirety, one test centre in Navan has a 42-week to 43-week wait time. Believe it or not, Meath is actually classed as a rural county so the necessity for driving and driver permits is extremely important. Apprenticeships were referenced. It is highly impactful, with delays for apprentices, for students getting to college, for the carers of those who are most vulnerable, or for carers who are non-Irish nationals and are waiting for their test in order to travel to clients.

I will end on this point. I do not mean to be challenging, but who will take this problem by the scruff of the neck as a matter of urgency and sort it out?

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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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.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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This is an emergency. I am asking the Government to do something, please. This happened last year-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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-----and the summer holidays will take a lot of the testers away and the test wait time will get longer.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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Gan amhras, nílimid sásta maidir le tréimhse fanachta na dtástálacha tiomána. Tá an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Canney, ag obair leis an Aire chun tréimhse fanachta na dtástálacha a laghdú.

I recognise that my response to the debate will probably be no different from what was said by any of the Members who have spoken. We are all frustrated by the delay. As Deputy Timmins said, the diagnosis is well documented, but this debate is important because I hope it will lead to ongoing change.

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, on his proactivity with the RSA. Members are genuinely frustrated and have raised real, legitimate frustrations on behalf of their constituents. Like me, no day goes by that we do not get a phone call about or request for a driver test.

I reiterate that the Government recognises the need to address the long-standing issue with service provision and to ensure that a reliable, high-quality driver test service is available throughout the State. The Government and I understand the unacceptable wait times for driver tests is having a profound and significant impact on people. Ordinary people are trying to get a job or go to college and exist. It particularly affects those in rural Ireland where the public transport, despite advances, is in some cases limited. We are all in agreement that we need to deliver decisively on the long-standing issues relating to service provision and ensure that a reliable, high-quality driver test service is available throughout the State, regardless of where people live.

Not only is achieving the ten-week target time important for learner driver experience of the service, it is also a vital component of delivering on our road safety strategy and the ambition to halve the number of road deaths and serious injuries this decade. Ensuring drivers are well trained and equipped to deal with the challenges of modern driving makes us all safer on the roads.

As the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, outlined, our population has significantly increased in recent years, putting additional demand on the driver testing service with a record number of applications received last year. I accept that is no crumb of comfort to those waiting, but it is a fact. The operation of the service is under the statutory remit of the RSA and we have sought to support it in meeting this increase in demand through a number of staffing sanctions in recent years. Most recently, 70 additional driver testers were sanctioned on a permanent basis in September last year, with a sanctioned headcount of 200 today, which has been a near doubling of staff sanctioned in just two years. This reflects the Government's commitment to addressing this issue. Prior to this, the RSA requested sanction for 75 testers on a temporary basis, which was approved by the Department in March 2023. This temporary sanction was the correct decision at the time. Under the temporary sanction, significant progress was made between August 2023 and April 2024, with wait times halving from 30 to 15 weeks. Deputy Timmins's proposal merits real consideration and I hope the ADIs, RSA and the Department can engage further on this suggestion.

The progress that was made under the previous sanction before the loss of testing capacity should give us confidence that the additional capacity now entering the service on a permanent basis will deliver improved waiting times on a sustained basis going forward. The RSA, in its meetings with the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, has been confident that the permanent positions now on offer will attract and retain more testers than was the case with the temporary sanction. The fact it remains in place permanently will allow the RSA to build the vacancies as they arise in response to demand up to the ceiling of 200 on an ongoing basis going forward. Members' suggestions on different times, cancellations and operating on different days, including weekends, should be actively considered and pursued. As the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, previously mentioned, interest in the recent competition was extremely high, with 1,400 people applying at the initial stage and more than 300 making it through to the final driving assessment stage.

Members should be aware that the first tranche of new testers was deployed into service in late April and I understand the next tranche begins training this week, with a further tranche of testers to begin their training before the end of this month. As additional testers enter the system, testing capacity will increase and progress should be seen in reducing wait times in the months ahead. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, in his opening statement referenced the initial RSA plan for restoring waiting times to ten weeks, which it was required to develop as a condition of its staffing sanction. It targeted restoration by November of this year. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and all of us in the Department of Transport and in this House deemed it to be unacceptable when he met the RSA at the beginning of May. New proposals were brought to him today on the delays. To reiterate a point made by the Minister of State, the RSA believes it can achieve the ten week target in September by introducing efficiencies in the tester training programme, while avoiding anything that undermines training or safety standards. It will publish its plan later this week and report again in a fortnight. In the event that it misses its targets, it will also immediately commence work on a contingency plan to add additional capacity to the system should the need arise.

Deputy Toole asked who would take responsibility and drive it. I am confident that the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, will. We have to get this right. The contributions of all Deputies today illustrate the importance of this. With the report every two weeks and publishing the progress report, I hope real accountability will lead to changes and proactivity. Additional capacity will help to address the systemic mismatch between supply and demand that has developed in recent years as our population has grown. However, it is also important to recognise the steps taken by the RSA and efforts made by individual testers to mitigate the impact on customers to the greatest extent possible where the current recruitment campaign is ongoing. There was extensive voluntary working of overtime by driver testers last year to help to meet demand and this is continuing, including at weekends. To support this, the RSA ran an incentivisation programme for overtime last year and a similar offering is under consideration for this year. The RSA has introduced IT system improvements to maximise the number of test slots utilised and reduce the number of tests lost to cancellation and no-shows.

Once a person has been invited to book a test, slots released at short notice following a cancellation can now be booked on the myroadsafety.ieportal. Such slots will be added every day and the new system has seen the overall percentage of testing slots utilised increase from 95% to 98%.

Deputies may wish to note that the RSA transparently publishes detailed monthly information on the driver testing service on the CSO website, including the breakdown of waiting times and the distribution of testing capacity by test centre.

Separately, while new testers will bring much needed additional capacity in the short term, in the long term, there are two significant initiatives that should help to improve delivery of the service. The first of these is to reform the RSA, informed by the recommendations of the 2024 Indecon review presented to the Government in November last year. A core principle of this review is that the RSA’s customer service and operations roles be separated from its wider road safety advocacy role and this should improve focus and delivery for both. Alongside this, focus on work carried out to date under the forthcoming phase 2 of the action plan under the Government's road safety strategy, the RSA will complete its review of the driver testing curriculum and progress implementation of its recommendations in the period to the end of 2027. This review should be implemented holistically, along with any required reforms to driver instruction to help ensure that new drivers are equipped for modern driving conditions and the pass test rate increases from 50%, thereby reducing demand on the driver testing system.

The Government recognises the important significant impact that long-term waiting times for driver tests are having on people, in particular, on those residing in rural areas where there is an issue with a public transport deficit. It is important, however, that we do not compromise testing standards and instead ensure the recruitment of sufficient driver testing capacity of an appropriate standard to support safe road use. The current recruitment campaign is well advanced. Additional capacity has now entered the system and further testers will do so in the coming months. We expect to see wait times progressively reduce to the target of ten weeks from this month onwards.

I thank Members for their contributions. Genuinely, the Minister and Ministers of State in the Department of Transport all understand the frustration and annoyance and we are working hard to ensure we meet the ten week requirement.