Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Will he indicate if it is the intention of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, to recruit the much-needed additional driving testers from outside the Department, as opposed to within the Department, as there is already an available pool of highly-qualified driving testers with relevant experience, knowledge and expertise?

I am sure the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, is well aware of the situation prevailing in County Galway where some 40,000 people are currently on the waiting list for driving tests. The proposal to outsource driving tests would present serious difficulties, especially for those staff already involved. Despite the increased number of people applying for driving tests, the number of driving testers has reduced in the past three years. Outsourcing of testers is not the answer. Instead of recruiting ten testers on a two-year contract, as proposed by the Department, why can at least 20 testers not be recruited from among departmental staff as there is a ready-made panel of top quality people available? With additional personnel becoming available from other Departments where they are surplus to requirements and the training that has been agreed for staff which will start in April next, surely this option would provide a better solution to the existing problem?

The backlog for driving tests is only a smokescreen for many of the other shortfalls within the system. No long-term plan has been devised, nor has adequate finance been put in place to address the problems, despite the fact that the waiting list has been growing in recent years. The proposal to outsource the testers will not solve the problem. Trained persons from within the driving test section are most suitable to carry out the work, if given the resources. There is considerable disquiet within the driver testing section regarding the outsourcing of testers.

Continual monitoring of standards and procedures are required and there is already a track record of experience and efficiency in the section. How will this be done if the service is outsourced? How will the standards be tested and maintained? If outsourcing were to take place it would result in problems and industrial relations would be brought to an all-time low. The Minister may be aware of the frustration in the service at present and nothing should be done to aggravate this situation.

The Driver Testing and Standards Authority Bill is currently on Committee Stage in the other House. Driving testers are gravely concerned about their status as civil servants which will be affected on the passing of the Bill. In many cases they have been employed as civil servants for over 20 years and they do not want their status to be downgraded. Counsel for the Department stated that civil servants joining the proposed road safety authority, RSA, would retain their Civil Service status but the latest utterings from the Department suggest otherwise. I hope this issue will be clarified in terms of those staff who are currently civil servants. It would appear that the RSA is just a new name for the old Driver Testing and Standards Authority, DTSA.

How much finance has been allocated for this new proposal? The non-registration of cars from other European countries has become an issue following recent road tragedies. It is important that the Minister would examine this matter and consult with testers. He should at least give them a hearing so that a proper structure can be put in place to address the backlog of 40,000 people on the waiting list for driving tests. Better standards can be put in place by existing staff, as opposed to an outsourced service which would not be monitored in terms of safety and standard of driver testing. It is a "from-the-hip" response to a very serious problem and I hope the Minister will re-examine the issue with a view to consultation and agreeing proper methods of carrying out driver testing.