Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will endeavour to get through it as quickly as I can. I thank the Minister, Deputy Ross, for coming to the House this morning to take this Commencement matter. Many Ministers send a Minister of State in their stead, so I thank the Minister for his attendance.

Many driving tests for heavy good vehicles, HGVs, and buses scheduled to take place in the past two weeks at the Westside test centre in Galway have been cancelled. To put this in context, as the Minister may know, there is no dedicated reversing compound in the Westside test centre area of Galway. Until recently, those taking the HGV and bus tests were tested in a quiet area on a public road. Due to traffic management changes implemented by Galway council, that area is no longer available and an alternative reversing space has not been secured.

There are two issues here. The first is that the situation was ever allowed to arise. It beggars belief that an agency of the State would be dependent on the use of a public space for such a critical aspect of a driving test and that no investment, foresight or planning has been forthcoming to address this issue over the years. The driving test centre in question is sadly lacking in other respects, such as no parking being available for applicants and the public building having no toilet facilities.

The second and more serious issue is that a very significant number of those scheduled for testing this week and last are participants on an education and training board, ETB, training course for HGV drivers with Galway and Roscommon ETB. They are on the course because they were unemployed but were ready to take up job offers upon its completion. The offers were contingent on their passing the test but, as tests are now cancelled, they cannot now take them up. The Minister will agree that is a horrendous situation for those people and their families.

The situation is equally serious for companies which train HGV drivers. Who would sign up to an HGV course when it is likely there will be no test available in Galway at the end of it? Some of the driving instructor schools employ up to 14 people whose jobs are now on the line.

The Road Safety Authority has provided dedicated reversing compounds in Finglas, Sligo, Limerick and Waterford. In 2016, a similar problem arose in Athlone and within four weeks the Road Safety Authority secured a plot of land and created a new reversing compound. Earlier this week, I wrote to Moyagh Murdock, CEO of the Road Safety Authority, and, to her credit, last night I received a comprehensive reply. She is aware of the problems at the centre in terms of facilities and the testing of HGV and bus drivers and has been actively looking at a number of alternatives over the past two years which, for one reason or another, have proven unsuitable. The Road Safety Authority is currently looking at several locations and working with the Office of Public Works, OPW, to secure a new test centre.

What plans does the Minister have to immediately address the emergency situation in Galway such that drivers can be tested? What plans are in place to immediately provide a safe and appropriate reversing compound in Galway? I thank the Minister for his time and look forward to his reply.