Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I have made my point and will finish with it now.

I ask the Leader to arrange an urgent debate on yesterday's decision by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, on provisional driving licences. I am not sure if the decision has yet been finalised. Apparently, there are over 400,000 such licences, which cover almost one fifth of all licensed drivers. The Minister is planning to forbid people who fail the driving test to drive again prior to resitting the test.

A case was illustrated on the radio earlier today concerning a lady who arrived at Rathgar for a driving test and crashed into the wall of the driving test centre. She then failed her test and drove home. None of us could condone such behaviour. An urgent debate is required in this regard.

It is unfair, however, to think that people who fail the driving test could be banned from driving for a year or more while awaiting another test. Some 4,000 applications were made recently for contract driving tester positions, yet none has been appointed to date. It is a major problem on which we should have a full debate. There is no point in solving one problem while creating an even bigger problem through the Minister's proposals.

The issue of lapsed drivers has also arisen in this context. According to a radio report this morning, a 78 year old lady who had been driving for 50 years——