Alan Kelly (Labour)

I concur with the comments of Senators Fitzgerald and O'Toole on the issue of driving tests. I am concerned that a recent report showed that nine of every ten road deaths are caused by careless driving. That just goes to show the issue with which we are dealing. There is a staggering level of backlog for driving tests throughout the country. The Minister said he had put his neck on the line. He promised that everybody would know about it by June. He accepted that the reputation of the Road Safety Authority was also at stake. The Taoiseach has a decision to make because the backlog will not be met. I do not doubt that the waiting time will not be reduced to ten weeks. The waiting time in my local area has increased by nine weeks — it is not decreasing. What will happen? We need some measurability, accountability and benchmarks from the Government. In fairness to the Minister, he has set his own benchmark. We respected that benchmark by giving the Minister time to achieve it, but it now looks like it will not be achieved. What will happen? I would like to know the answer.

I agree with Senator O'Toole that the driving test needs to be overhauled for various reasons. I also agree that the language difficulties being experienced by foreign drivers need to be addressed. There are other considerations in relation to the test. We should consider restricting the size of the engines of cars which may be driven by those who have passed their tests within the previous two years. We should consider such a change when we are examining this issue in the future. I believe it has been done in other countries. I am also concerned about the manner in which Mr. Gay Byrne claims to have been treated recently. He has said that various Ministers have put him on a merry-go-round. If he is getting such treatment, it is a sign of the Government's intentions on this issue. We can tell how seriously it is being treated.

I have spoken previously about the issue of workers' rights, which has become a common theme since the economic downturn began. I read today about a man from Pakistan who worked in a restaurant in Dublin for 60 hours a week but was paid just €50, which is an absolute disgrace. We heard about the Irish Ferries case and we know what the Irish Hotels Federation is doing. The lack of respect shown to workers' rights in the service and tourism industries has to stop. The restaurant in this case has not been named for legal reasons, but I would love to know its name. I think we would all like to know where such a disgraceful thing happened. The man in question, who was supported by the State and the Labour Relations Commission, has been awarded compensation of €116,000 and has found a new job. The Minister of State with responsibility for labour affairs and the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism should comment on this case. The service and tourism industries need to ensure they do not get a bad name. The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation should make a statement on this issue, making it clear that the most vulnerable people in society should not be exploited in an industry that depends on people with low skill levels to keep going.